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Wild Oak Vineyard
Tasting Notes
Crafted in a Burgundian-style, this is an elegant Chardonnay with abundant aromas of fresh-picked pear, apple blossom, and graham cracker. Balanced and bright, the wine evokes flavors of juicy apple, pear galette, and lemon zest before a delicate creamy finish with a note of minerality.
Vintage Notes
Harvest in 2016 started in the middle of August during a pattern of warm sunny days cooled by foggy mornings and breezy afternoons for most of the area. The early months of the year were very mild with little rain allowing the vines to progress steadily and uneventfully. Yields throughout the region were slightly below average but moderate weather starting in early summer gave the fruit plenty of time to develop great color and flavor, resulting in beautifully balanced wines.
Vineyard Notes
All of the fruit for this lovely wine comes from our Certified Sustainable Wild Oak Vineyard located at the base of majestic Sugarloaf Ridge and Hood Mountain in historic Sonoma Valley. Over the centuries rock and gravel have washed down from the mountain range providing an ideal soil for Chardonnay while the region’s moderate climate prolongs ripening and hang time, promoting natural balance in this wine.
Winemaker Notes
The fruit is picked at night and delivered to the winery while still cold to preserve the wine’s delicate flavors, aromas, and acidity. Grapes are pressed whole cluster, then fermented sur lie in a temperature-controlled room kept at 55 degrees to ensure slow fermentation. The wine undergoes partial malolactic fermentation and is stirred by hand three times per week to increase mid-palate intensity. Winemaker Katie Madigan ages this wine for seven months in French oak barrels, 60% new, with a light, soft toast to create a creamy mouthfeel without heavy oak notes.
