Growing Conditions
Some of the Wente field selection from the Hyde Vineyard has a honeysuckle, floral note that results in our 2009 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay seeming charming and feminine.
The 2009 vintage came close to ideal, with steady, moderate temperatures throughout the growing season, no desiccating heat spikes and no rain until all the Chardonnay had been picked.
Bottling
It was lightly fined with traditional fining agents before being bottled without filtration in June 2011.
Winemaking
We use classical Burgundian techniques with the addition of whole cluster pressing of the grapes. All of our Chardonnays go through native yeast fermentation in three-year air dried French and Hungarian oak barrels and then native, delayed malolactic fermentation.
Aging
Our 2009 Hyde aged sur lies for 20 months in 55% new oak barrels.