Growing Conditions
Called “one of the great Grand Cru Chardonnay sites in California” by Robert Parker, the Charles Heintz Vineyard sits upon a ridgetop along the rocky Sonoma County coastline. The 30-year-old vines, planted on the desirable Gold Ridge Sandy Loam top-soils, ripen slowly, cooled each evening by the fog that rolls in from the nearby Pacific ocean. This slow, even ripening process results in beautifully balanced wines with fully developed flavors and fresh acidity. The vineyard site has been in the Heintz family for over 100 years, and since its planting in 1982 has become a name synonomous with the best of California Chardonnay.
2013 is widely regarded as one of the best vintages on record for Sonoma winemaking. The ideal year began with a mild spring and no frosts, and continued with a summer and fall that brought warm, even temperatures and no heat waves. Throughout the growing season the vines enjoyed warm days and cool nights, allowing a long, slow ripening that resulted in beautifully balanced wines with fully developed flavors and fresh acidity.
Winemaking
The 2013 Amici Cellars Charles Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay is a gracefully balanced wine that combines the richness and intensity of perfectly ripened old vine fruit with the structure and acidity of great Sonoma Coast winegrowing.
Aromas of brioche, baked pears, golden apple, and brûléed pineapple meld harmoniously with flavors of carmelized almonds, white peach, vanilla, and baking spice. This is a wine of great complexity, with a rich creamy mouth-feel balanced by lively fruit and a long mineral finish.
Aging
100% barrel fermented in 60% new French oak barrels
