AROMATICS & FLAVORS:
Aromatics rise out of the glass with orange blossom, tropical fruit essence, and a bit of almond biscotti. Steely, crisp, and bright on the palate with expansive melon and mango flavors. The finish is ample like a creamy custard with snappy and lingering ginger spice.
VINTAGE:
Mendocino’s major varieties performed well in 2020, particularly Chardonnay. Following a cool, mild growing season, an August heat spell accelerated ripening, resulting in an early start to harvest. Overall quality from harvest to bottle always seemed very good, especially for whites. Yields of Chardonnay were slightly higher than normal.
FERMENTATION & AGING:
After grapes arrive still chilled from a morning pick, we whole-cluster press, then the juice settles for several hours. It is then racked off of the lees and sent to cold fermentation. Once cold fermentation is complete, the wine ages in stainless steel tanks for five months. Our Mendocino fruit undergoes malolactic fermentation in the stainless steel. For additional complexity, we add a small percentage of Monterey County Chardonnay that does not undergo malolactic fermentation. The wine sees no oak contact.
VINEYARDS:
We’ve sourced our Chardonnay from the same long-time family-owned vineyards in Mendocino County for many vintages. Much of what we source is along the Russian River and the growing conditions are very similar to the cool vineyards in Sonoma County along the river. We add a touch of Chardonnay grown in Northern Monterey County and the resulting wine yields fresh fruit flavor with a firm structure.
- TA: 0.63
- pH: 3.08
- Alcohol: 13.9%
- RS: 0.27%