Palate
This is a bright Chardonnay, with the beautiful layers of fruit bursting in the
glass – notes of honeysuckle, orange blossom, key lime and golden peach.The
techniques used are designed to retain the signature Los Carneros aromas of
lemon-citrus and white blossom while accentuating the minerality and vivid,
fresh fruit flavors of citrus and stone fruits in the wine. Partial barrel
fermentation and lees stirring create complex layers that impart hints of oak
and wrap the flavors in a rich, generously textured mouthfeel and elegant finis
Winemaking
The grapes were hand-harvested at night, and brought over to the winery in
the early morning hours. Winemaker Ana Diogo-Draper used different types of
techniques to press the grapes: the majority of the grapes were
whole-cluster pressed, using a slow cycle that gently pushes the must
rendering clean juice but few solids. The remaining lots were a combination of
destemmed and whole cluster grapes in the same press load. The grapes were
able to macerate in the press for about 2 hours, being tasted every 15 minutes,
in order to extract a distinct fruit profile. 70% of the juice was fermented in
French oak barrels (30% new, the remainder was fermented in seasoned
barrels); the lees were stirred once a week for three months, bringing added
texture and richness to the mouthfeel. 30% of the juice was fermented in
stainless steel, temperature controlled tanks, at a cooler temperature
(45 - 50 F). This technique allows for the retention of highly volatile aroma
compounds. This combination of oak and tank fermentation imparted richness
and viscosity to the wine, without overwhelming it. Likewise, our winemaker
allowed just 50% of the wine to undergo malolactic fermentation, rounding
out the edges, but guaranteeing that the unique brightness of the Chardonnay
fruit really comes through, with a hint of oak in the back palate. The wine was
blended after nine months of aging, and then filtered and bottled.
