Current Releases

2009 Sangiacomo Vineyard Chardonnay
Carneros

Vineyard Notes: This year the wine is a combination of only two separate blocks, "Vella" and "Southern Sonoma" of Sangiacomo Vineyard, Carneros. The blending of these clones from the individual sites creates layers for a more diverse flavor profile. The 2009 vintage was cooler at the beginning than previous years, which allowed a longer ripening period and therefore a more prolonged flavor development curve, but resulted in us not including the third block, 'Bates', into this years Chardonnay.

Winemaking Notes: The grapes were harvested in the early morning where the cool fog kept the grapes fresh prior to their delivery to the winery. The grapes were whole bunch pressed and kept overnight in a cool tank to allow the solids to settle. The next morning the juice was inoculated and moved to barrel (25% new) for the primary fermentation. Every barrel began malo-lactic fermentation naturally. Each barrel was monitored for flavor profile changes throughout the malolactic and stopped at the perfect point resulting in approximately 18% of the malic converting to lactic acid.

Tasting Notes: The 2009 chardonnay is extremely lively in the nose. Tropical notes of pineapple are first apparent, followed by red apple and ripe meyer lemon custard. This is complimented by moderate amounts of fig and soapstone minerality. The richness on the palate is surrounded with flavors of apple pie and honeydew melon, while the viscosity is balanced well with the fresh malic acid that comes through on the finish. This Chardonnay is fresh and vibrant now but will develop additional complexity over the next 4 to 5 years (2013-2014).

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