Tasting Notes

Release Date: Fall 2019 Our traditional winemaking approach has always been to make a long-lived, dynamic Chardonnay. Indeed, our lineage going back to the 1940s and our “Library” starting in 1972 is a testament to our ability to make vintages that age for twenty-five years. Our Reserve Chardonnay starts as estate Chardonnay. Eleven barrels are selected when the “Estate” is bottled and then aged an additional 12 months on its lees in a stainless-steel tank. During this time, these sediments dissolve in the wine giving it protection from oxidation. 2015, a drought year, yielded an early and bountiful harvest. The wine has youthful aromas of lemon and cardamom; with vibrant flavors of toast, citrus, herbs and mineral. We’ve been making the Reserve Chardonnay since 2007 and now, with vintages going back over a decade, we can definitely state that these wines age even better than our Estate Bottled Chardonnay. This was our hope when we first started this practice. Expect slow development over the next ten years and longevity with proper cellaring.

Production

263

Tech Notes

Yield: 2.5 tons per acre

Harvest: August 23rd-September 3rd

Numbers @ Harvest: 23.0° Brix, 3.20 pH, 8.1 grams acidity

Barrel Regimen: French Oak 70% new, 30% 1-2 years; 100% Barrel Fermented; 100% Malolactic; 10 months on the sur-lie (in barrel)

11 barrels selected for Reserve program in July 2016; wine and lees stirred then aged an additional 12 months in stainless steel tank

Bottling: July 2017

Alcohol: 14%

Reviews

94+ points Robert Parker Jr's The Wine Advocate  - February 2020, Week 1

The 2015 Chardonnay Reserve begins with pleasant touches of gunflint and toast, opening out to gregarious orange blossoms, baked apples and quince with hints of mushroom paste, roasted almonds and cheese rind. The palate is medium to full-bodied and explodes with savory fruits, still with just a touch of that gunflint reductiveness. It has a satiny texture and seamlessly woven freshness, finishing very long, layered and with incredible energy in the mouth. This needs more time in the bottle and I expect it will get better over time. —E. B.