Nose
Our chardonnay expresses fruit aroma of green apple, pear, ripe banana, ripe pineapple, and tropical fruits. Adding to the complexity, the oak aging is fairly integrated adding spice, like nutmeg, vanilla, and the nuance of angel food cake with a slight baked apple and clove.
Palate
This wine has great viscosity, depth and an intriguing long finish. The flavors are lively on the palate with pear, citrus, lemon-lime, green apple and peach. This wine shows great complexity, creaminess, and elegance to be paired with many foods.
Growing Conditions
Following 2012, we had another “near perfect vintage”. A warm, dry winter and spring brought early bud break. The dry weather helped lower canopy vigor and created ideal conditions for flowering and fruit set under sunny skies. With one heat spike in late June, early July, the growing temperatures were near ideal for vine growth and ripening. The season as a hole, was a good two weeks early on the average and really quite dry. There were two rain storms in mid-September that didn’t amount to any consequence, as most of the thin skinned varieties came in early. In fact, we were quite pleased to have even ripening while finishing our chardonnay fruit in September.
Bottling
May 2014
Winemaking
Barrels: 81% is oak aged with 31% new French oakCooperage: predominantly World Cooperage/ Damy, Aged in Barrel: 6 months collectively (World Cooperage profiles, we prefer Profile 27 but we use several profiles like 7 and 78. We like French oak mainly, using the Vosge and Allier forest predominantly)
Aging
70% is barrel fermented and we do not do the Malolactic fermentation to preserve the bright fruit of chardonnay. 30% was cold fermented in stainless steel tanks
Appearance
Brilliant greenish straw in color.
