Nose
The first aromas are of green apple and pear, followed by fresh toast, lemon custard, and toasted walnuts. Background notes of nutmeg and lemon zest fill out the nose.
Palate
On the palate, the wine is elegant, with notes of caramel and fresh citrus, matched with a lemon curd mid-palate. This Chardonnay is bright, vibrant and well-balanced.
Growing Conditions
The 2016 vintage was as textbook a season as Napa Valley has had. We had a return to average winter rainfall with steady rain all winter. Bud break was slightly earlier and fruit set was solid. Summer saw the return to the characteristic Napa Valley fog that cooled down the night time temperatures but burned off about midday to allow daytime temperatures to rise for perfect grape ripening weather. Harvest was steady-paced, ending in mid-October with cooler, wet weather.
Bottling
June 2017
Winemaking
Grapes were hand-harvested, cluster-sorted and whole cluster pressed to preserve the pure varietal characteristics. The juice was then inoculated with white Burgundy yeast strains. The creaminess comes from stirring the lees in oak barrels twice each month for 8 months. No secondary malolactic fermentation was allowed. These Chardonnay grapes come mostly from Dijon and Wente clones grown in the renowned Carneros District in Napa Valley from such prestigious sites as the Haire vineyard, the Ghisletta Vineyard, and the Cunat Vineyard in Oak Knoll. Grapes were harvested between 21 and 24 brix.
Aging
35% New French Oak
