The golden ripe fruit is whole cluster pressed and the introduction of “native” or “indigenous” yeast is the key element to winemaking for the Buena Tierra Chardonnay. Stirring weekly adds the clean, yeasty notes evident in the wine. The fermentation is long and deliberate with malo-lactic fermentation sometimes completing six months after harvest. Patience is virtuous as good things do not happen overnight for this wine from these old, nutrient deficient vines, but the reward is worth the effort to make this highest expression of Chardonnay.