Nose

Bananas Foster has a toasty, brown sugar and sweet banana aroma profile that is also found in our 2016 Chardonnay.

Palate

Showing a bit of minerality over the toasty oak and honey tangerine mixed with juicy pear fruit the entry comes across both rich and creamy, but finishes with a decided brightness necessary when pairing with a meal.

Growing Conditions

Grown predominately in the Oak Knoll AVA, our two estate vineyards provide a stylistic
tropical air to our Chardonnay. Our Oak Knoll ranch was originally planted with both Wente
and Dijon clones; however our newer planting at both vineyards comprise of both eld
selections, Robert Young and Clone 4. Fluy bale loam soils dominate while our Trubody
estate has heavier soils, which we balance by utilizing no-till cultivation and decit irrigation.
Both vineyards sit at the edge of the fog intrusion zone and benet from the cooling breezes
during the harvest season. Partial malolactic fermentation provides texture to our wine while
still allowing the natural acidity to shine.

Harvest

e 2016 vintage rewarded Napa Valley with normal rainfall after four consecutive vintages of
drought. e grapevines sped right through their annual milestones with an early budbreak.
Even bloom started early, and Chardonnay was set before the May rains extended bloom for
other varieties. Scorching heat at the end of June pushed veraison ahead over the 4th of July
weekend. Harvest started early for many, however normal yields in our vineyards had us
waiting to crush until the end of August. While not a completely leisurely harvest, we thanked
Mother Nature for perfectly ripened fruit, happy fermentations and allowing us to be nished
picking everything before 10” of rain arrived in October.

Bottling

Bottled: May 2017

Winemaking

100% Whole Cluster Pressed; 100% Barrel Fermentation & Sur-Lie Aged

Aging

8 Months Aged French, Hungarian & American Oak; 30% New Oak Barrels; 45% Malolactic

Food Pairing

A Caesar salad with grilled chicken or popcorn shrimp and a generous decoration of avocado would be delicious and easy to prepare tonight!