Nose
Aromas of ripe citrus and poached pear are complemented by
toffee and caramel notes.
Palate
The smooth entry opens to an elegant, delicate wine with
lots of personality, weight and volume. Ripe fruit flavors are accented by complex
barrel notes, leading to a lengthy, refined 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.
The 2015 growing season in Napa Valley started out with unseasonably warm
temperatures in the late winter and early spring. This resulted in an early bud break
and bloom. Colder temperatures in May (during the peak of bloom) resulted in a
smaller crop. Our vine-by-vine farming approach coupled with hand sorting in the
vineyard and at the winery ensured that we picked and crushed only the best quality
grapes.
Harvest
The harvest was one of the earliest on record in Napa Valley, beginning
on July 22 with the picking of grapes for sparkling wine, and concluding for most
vintners and growers by mid-October.
Winemaking
Despite
being a fairly early pick it had already been a long growing season and the nitrogen
content in the fruit was low resulting in long, slow fermentations The grapes were
carefully sorted, whole cluster pressed and barrel fermented using 100% native yeast.
Long, slow fermentations helped to promote finesse and complexity in the
final blend. The vineyards’ proximity to the San Pablo Bay keeps them at a cool
temperature and brings cool climate characteristics to the wine, most notably a crisp
freshness
Aging
The wine underwent partial malolactic fermentation and spent 12 months in 30%
new French oak barrels.
Appearance
This Chardonnay from the Napa side of Carneros is vibrant gold in color
with bright acidity.
