Nose
It offers up an expressive nose of ripe citrus, subtle tropical fruits and white flowers with lifting notes of galangal and lemongrass.
Palate
The clean, medium-bodied palate shows a bit more than typical crispness and minerality underlying the lush lemon infused melon and pineapple flavors that glide into a beautifully balanced and lengthy finish.
Growing Conditions
Simply put, the 2013 growing season was spectacular. An early bud break was followed by an extended stretch of warm weather that promoted rapid early season development while the dry conditions limited vigor in the vines. Nearly ideal conditions during flowering resulted in a great fruit set. Very warm and dry weather continued through the late spring and into the early summer establishing compact vines. And just when we began to have a few concerns about the extended stretch of warm weather, daytime temps came down a bit starting in the midsummer almost as if we ordered them, nicely slowing down ripening and allowing flavors to develop more deeply.
Winemaking
The grapes were picked in the cool early mornings to maintain their freshness, natural acidity and delicate flavors. We utilize traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques, while respecting the unique quality of the fruit our vineyard delivers. The grapes are hand sorted, whole cluster pressed and then barrel-fermented. Though we generally restrict malo-lactic fermentation to preserve acidity and crispness, this year we again allowed a few lots to go through it for increased complexity. Finally, we aged this wine on its lees for ten months with regular ‘batonnage’ during the first seven months.
Aging
10 Months
61% new, 39% used
Appearance
The flaxen hued 2013 Salus Chardonnay exudes restraint as a result of an abundantly warm growing season juxtaposed by some earlier-than-usual picks to capture and preserve the wonderful freshness the fruit was exhibiting.
