Nose
Intense aromas of honeysuckle, bee pollen and apricot nectar are lightly tinged with sea salt and interwoven
with notes of baked graham cracker.
Palate
The ultra plush mouthfeel has light tones of honeycomb and juicy summer fruits reminiscent
of Crane melon and grilled peach, yet retains an austerity driven by the bright acidity characteristic of this vintage. The long
finish lingers with flavors of freshly baked bread, cold winter smoke and clean wet stone.
Growing Conditions
The 2014 season was the third in a string of stunning vintages, once again benefiting from nearly ideal growing conditions. Dry
and mild temperatures ushered in our earliest bud break and harvest on record, however the overall length of the growing season
was normal and allowed for complete ripeness with a prominent fresh acidity. The persistent drought conditions yielded small
berries with concentrated flavors and elegant tannins. Despite these highlights, 2014 will likely be most remembered as the
year Napa was rocked by a major earthquake just days before harvest. Fortunately, both our estate vineyard and winery survived
without significant damage, but our greater community was deeply shaken and the event defined the entire season.
Bottling
It was neither fined nor
filtered before bottling on Nov. 12, 2015.
Winemaking
Our Chardonnay was picked during the cool of the night, then each cluster was hand sorted and gravity fed into the bladder
press. The juice was streamed into stainless steel tanks and left to settle for 24 hours at 50 degrees. We racked it to French oak
barrels to begin native yeast fermentation, where it was monitored daily and stirred only as needed to stimulate the process.
After malolactic fermentation, we again racked the wines, commingling lots for the first time.
Aging
The blend was barreled down
into 90% new François Frères French oak, primarily Vosges very tight grain, for another 11 months. .
Appearance
Bright gold in color.
