Nose
this wine is alive with aromas of ripe, sweet pear, pineapple,
popcorn, golden delicious apple, toffee, and vanilla bean.
Palate
Showcasing the balanced
2014 growing season, the smooth, bright entry offers the prelude to a fresh and
delicate wine with lots of personality, weight and volume. The acidity is well framed
by the flavor and texture of the wine. Naturally sweet flavors and aromatics are
accented by complex barrel notes, leading to a lengthy, sophisticated finish.
Growing Conditions
The fruit in this Chardonnay was grown primarily on our Stanly Ranch Estate
Vineyard in Carneros, with some select lots from the renowned Hyde and Poe
Vineyards blended in.
With the South Napa earthquake and ongoing drought making it a unique agricultural
landscape, vintners are using words like “quality”, “depth of flavor” and “excellent”
to describe expectations for the 2014 vintage in Napa Valley. Despite the curveballs
from Mother Nature, the weather was generally perfect at the right times, leading to
an abundant and strong crop.
Harvest
Harvest started and ended earlier than usual. The first
grapes were picked on July 30th and nearly all harvest activity was completed by the
third week of October, a full two weeks ahead of normal harvest schedule for most
wineries.
Winemaking
The grapes were carefully sorted, whole cluster pressed and
barrel fermented using 100% native yeast.
Aging
The wine spent 12 months in 30% new
French oak barrels.
Appearance
A vibrant gold color.
