Nose
The nose opens up with pineapple and ripe peach with a touch of sweet French oak and a hint of créme brulee.
Palate
The mouth adds another layer with green apple and meyer lemon zest, subtle toast and a crisp finish that continues for a long time.
Growing Conditions
The growing season 2014 was about as good as we could hope for. We had some relief from our drought with some well-timed spring rain in that allowed us to hold off on irrigating our vines for quite some time allowing us to conserve water. The rains came early enough not to interfere with bloom and we had excellent fruit set. The summer was sunny and mild without and damaging heat spikes and ripened our fruit 10 maturity early. Our harvest began the first week of August, almost two weeks earlier than average. The weather continued to be cooperative through harvest with no rain or heat spikes to worry about. The harvest yield was average to slight! above average which was a welcome departure from the last two years record large harvests. Fruit quality was excellent in sparkling and in still wines.
Winemaking
100% whole cluster pressed to minimize extraction of bitter compounds. Partial malolactic fermentation at 16%. Barrel fermented and aged in French oak (50% new oak) for nine months. Battonage every four weeks for six months.
Food Pairing
This Chardonnay gets along swimmingly with a lot of food personalities. Its best friends include shrimp cocktails, fettuccine alfredo, pulled pork sandwiches and seared scallops. Have a hankering for cheese? Grab a soft chevre and indulge.
