Nose
Graceful aromatics of
honeysuckle, stone fruit, and apple blossom.
Palate
Seemingly endless layers of flavor emerge with
Honeycrisp apple, Eureka lemon, and white peach. Focused acidity lifts the experience on the palate,
highlighting good minerality throughout the long, refreshing finish. Pair with prawns a la plancha, tuna
tartar or a decadent Époisses. Serve at 45°-50° F.
Growing Conditions
A true test of our vineyard team’s mettle, the challenges of the 2015 season commenced early with
cold, damp, windy conditions during bloom causing poor set, and unevenly ripened clusters - what is
known as ‘shot berries’. The remainder of the season steadied, and with much handwork and fruit
thinning, delivered ripe and balanced fruit of high quality. Harvest was early across the board, a
common occurrence when the vine carries a light crop.
Harvest
Hand-harvested at night, sheers only.
Bottling
Bottled unfined and unfiltered; January, 2017
Winemaking
Whole cluster pressed while still cold from the field
Barrel fermented with indigenous yeasts; 7 months to completion
Spontaneous malolactic fermentation in barrel
Aging
Aged 15 months in French oak barrels; 68% new. Sur lie aging, biweekly bâtonnage.
Coopers: Damy, Francois Frères, Gauthier, Louis Latour, Remond
Appearance
The 2015 Chardonnay from the Ross Station Estate offers a pale straw hue