Vineyard

This Chardonnay comes from a single vineyard in the heart of the limestone laden Cienega Valley. Planted in 1997, this 11 acre block sits on the north side of the creek that transects the Cienega Valley floor. The soils are a mix of alluvial sands weathered from the calcite limestone of the Gabilan Mountains that overlook this narrow valley.

Winemaking

The grapes were picked by hand, sorted in the field. At the winery the grapes were pressed to 2.0 bars without any maceration or crushing. The juice was splash racked to tank (for oxidation) and chilled overnight then racked into old barrels for spontaneous fermentation. Aged 15 months on lees before being racked to tank for bottling unfined and unfiltered. 42 ppm total sulfur at bottling. 140 cases bottled on December 5, 2023.

Wine Stats

Brix at harvest: 22.1

Titratable Acidity: 6.0 g/L

pH: 3.33

Residual Sugar: 0.0 g/L

Alcohol: 12.5%