Palate
This is a full-bodied and elegant Chardonnay that shows off a luscious, creamy mouthfeel with aromas and flavors of honey, orange marmalade and brioche with a touch of crispness and lemon zest on the finish.
Growing Conditions
Our founder Joe Martin purchased this 100-acre Sonoma Valley vineyard in 1971 and planted it with Chardonnay and Merlot. Ideally suited to the warm days and cool nights here, the Chardonnay develops full, round flavors and crisp acidity.
Harvest
Warm sunny days throughout the spring and summer months set the stage for a spectacular harvest in September 2014. The lack of rain meant that harvest began a little earlier than normal and was short in length, finishing up by the end of October. The temperate days leading up to harvest produced good yields of high quality fruit with concentrated flavors, complex aromatics and excellent structure.
Bottling
Bottled in August 2016.
Winemaking
The fruit is picked at daybreak and delivered to the winery while still cold to preserve the wine’s delicate flavors, aromas and acidity. Grapes are pressed whole cluster, then fermented sur lie in a temperature-controlled room maintained at 55 degrees to ensure a slow fermentation. The initial bottling for this wine was in August 2015. For this Extended Age wine, select barrels were set aside, chosen for their taste profile and acidity level, and given an extra 12 months of aging and battonage (stirring) to impart a rounder, more complex mouthfeel.
Aging
20 months in 100% French Oak.
Food Pairing
Tarragon and Whole Grain Mustard Stuffed Chicken Breast.
