Nose
The nose opens up with tropical pineapple and granny smith apple with a hint of baking spice.
Palate
The fruit and spice continue into the mouth adding mandarin citrus and crisp acidity with a hint of sweet French oak which continue into the long finish.
Growing Conditions
The growing season of 2015 brought some challenges to our harvest. The spring brought us very early bud break but fortunately no frost. However during bloom the weather turned cold and rainy which resulted in the vines setting a very small crop. Weather through the summer was optimal without any excessive heat spikes or rain events. Between the small crop, the early budbreak and bloom the warm summer the fruit ripened to a near record early harvest. With the small crop and good weather the vines produced grapes with excellent concentration and intense character.
Winemaking
The Chardonnay grapes are all gently wholecluster pressed to minimize extraction of bitter compounds. The juice is then barrel fermented and aged in French barrels with 25% new oak for 9 months. About 33% of the wine was allowed to undergo malolactic fermentation to soften the bright acidity of our José S. Ferrer Chardonnay. Every four weeks for six months the barrels were stirred (battonage) to mix the lees to build the supple mouthfeel of the wine.
Food Pairing
Try sautéed red snapper with a citrus reduction and crispy garden leeks. Roast pork loin with grilled pineapple will match well with the kiss of sweet oak which is prevalent in this chardonnay. Hard cheddar or aged Gouda with green apple slices will make your palette sing.
