2018 Russian River Chardonnay

Our 2018 Russian River Chardonnay is made from 100% hand-picked, hand-sorted fruit from the Polkinghorn Vineyard off Willowside Road in the Russian River AVA, Sonoma County, California.

We picked this Chardonnay at 22 brix to retain lively acids and temper alcohol, in pursuit of a natural expression of this small vineyard. The lot was pressed whole cluster to neutral oak barrels, then cool-fermented through winter via resident, wild yeast.

The winter of 2018-2019 was a cool one and the secondary fermentation stopped in mid January, 75% complete, and we did not restart it.  It was stirred regularly through this period, conditioned sur lie thereafter, then racked gently and bottled in late March.  This wine received no additives or other manipulations beyond minimal SO2 at the crusher and prior to bottling.

The result is a graceful, transcendent Russian River Chardonnay: this wine sings with stone fruit and biscuit aromas, green apple and citrus flavors, gently layered over a backbone of crisp, food-friendly acids.

This is our first vintage with the Polkinghorn vineyard, located just a mile from the Inspiration Vineyard, the source of our previous vintages of Russian River Chardonnay.  You will recognize the big stone fruit and tropical aromas, the rounded mouthfeel from gentle native barrel fermentation and battonage in neutral oak, the food-friendly acids.  Our updated packaging includes a flint bottle and Normacorc® recyclable closure

Production: 150 cases
Release: Summer 2019
Varietal: Chardonnay, clone 4
ABV: 13.5%
Soil: Huichica, Yolo sandy loams
Crush: Hand harvest, hand sort, whole cluster, gentle champagne press
Ferment: Neutral oak barrels; long, cool, native ferment
Wood: 6 months elevage sur lie, battonage, neutral oak
Aromas: Pear, mango
Palate:  Apples, citrus, heather

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