Nose
Vibrant mango, pineapple, golden apple and alpine strawberry notes are accented by hazelnut, nutmeg, almond cream and subtle wet slate.
Palate
The palate offers high toned fruit and lush texture ending in a long creamy finish.
Growing Conditions
In keeping with our focus on the best of site and farming, we sourced the grapes for this wine from the Green Acres Block of the renowned Sangiacomo Vineyard, located within the premier Chardonnay and Pinot Noir appellation of Carneros. Green Acres is special for its well-drained, creek bed soils and signature afternoon winds from the nearby San Pablo Bay. Our section is planted to the old Wente clone, known for producing very low, yields of bright, concentrated fruit with good natural acidity. The Saxon Brown vines are cane pruned to encourage even more fruit complexity.
Bottling
The wine was bottle unilfered and unfined.
Winemaking
The grapes for our 2012 Sangiacomo “Green Acres” Chardonnay were harvested in the early morning, and transported immediately to the winery where they were whole-fruit pressed. After two days of cold settling, the juice was racked to small French Burgundy barrels, inoculated with a low rate of Burgundian yeast, and cold barrel fermented at 58-70°F for 100 days. The wine was aged sur lies for an additional 11months in 50% French oak, undergoing a true secondary malolactic fermentation in the spring.
Aging
11 months in 50% French oak.
