Fall Release Estate Vineyard Chardonnay
2014

Winemaker’s Notes

Almost a replica of the 2013 vintage, a wine that features prominently on Michelin-starred restaurant wine lists because it flickers stylistically between Europe and California, and that appeals to our sommelier friends. The new vintage is a little more reserved and will need more time to show fully, but that’s the overall nature of this vintage – restrained power, a whisper, not a foghorn. Make no mistake though, there’s deep flavor, fruit extract and vineyard character to burn here, it’s just wrapped up in precise, tense acidity that courses through this wine from start to long, mineral-stained finish. Just like all our wines, this is a product of its vineyard site and soil but the high-density planting format of our Estate has a secondary influence that traditionally spaced vineyards cannot replicate. Specifically, the reduced direct sunlight on the clusters themselves preserves the entire spectrum of intense savory elements that really comprise the essence of this wine. It makes all the expensive, back breaking and time consuming handwork, that such a dense planting demands, completely worthwhile.

Brilliant pale straw color with a green tinge. Intense mineral/slate aromas. Fennel, green olive, sweet mint and quinine. Honey dew melon and lemongrass, some earth tones. Palate is fruitier than the aromas suggest. Lime juice and quince, deep clarity of flavor, hazelnut and lanolin. Piercing, livewire acidity draws out the finish. Great thrust and persistence. A highly detailed, nuanced and focused wine with prominent aromatic savory elements and unfolding layers of fruit richness. Great natural acidity and drive.

Andy Smith Viticulturist, Winemaker & Partner