Winter Release Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay
2021

Winemaker’s Notes

Our latest Hyde bottling rivals the greatest wines we’ve produced from this vineyard over the last twenty vintages. I rank it alongside 2015 and 2020 as the finest trio. In a normal season we’ll produce thirty barrels from this east-facing hillside parcel. This 2021 bottling is so concentrated and complex as the vines gave us a mere seventeen barrels for this dry vintage. Sometimes “less is more” and the outstanding quality the wine offers, more than compensates for the small volume. When we have exaggeratedly small yields in any vineyard, it’s important to harvest quite early before the grapes lose freshness and detail – and so this vintage balances moderate alcohol with beautifully mature flavors and fine structure. The winemaking team is extremely proud of this – our twentieth vintage of Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay. 

Aromas of perfectly ripe orchard fruits, flint, thyme and fragrant fennel tops. The wine is immediately steely and mineral yet dense and chewy with obvious extract and power. The flavors akin to peach and citrus are clean, precise and beautifully proportioned. As the wine airs it becomes deep and expansive, building through the palate, before it’s cut by a sharp line of grapefruit acidity and chalky freshness. World class Chardonnay for grown-ups. Serve at no cooler than 53F and drink between late-2023 and 2032. 

Andy Smith Viticulturist, Winemaker & Partner