About This Wine

Vintage
2006 featured one of the longest growing seasons in recent memory. Fantastic weather during bloom left us with a real crop on the vines, something quite different than 2005. The longer cool growing season was ideal for producing lovely aromatics and silky textures, real hallmarks for us in 2006. The vintage yielded wines that are remarkably pure and translucent, highlighting regional and vintage characteristics.

Vineyards
Our 2006 Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay is sourced entirely from vineyards where we have a direct say in farming practices: the Winery Estate, Gist Ranch Estate and the Camel Hill Vineyard. The Winery Estate provides the base of the blend and defines it’s bright, cool-climate character. The warmer Gist Ranch and Camel Hill Vineyard provide more depth of fruit and weight.

Winemaking
Cold, whole-cluster pressing, no settling, barrel fermentation with a mix of cultured and native yeast, weekly lees stirring this mix of new and old methods seems to highlight the wonderful purity inherent in great Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay. After 10 months of barrel age, the majority of the wine was racked to steel tanks for the winter where the wine continued to mellow and harmonize without extracting more oak character.

Tasting Notes
Citrus, lemon verbena, white flowers and hints of toast highlight the fragrant nose. The mouth offers additional depth of flavor with racy acidity and a mineral edge the leads to a long finish with density and crisp-osity’! Very atypical for a California Chardonnay in its ability to be both rich and light on its feet. This wine proves that in certain regions the Golden State can produce Chardonnay with balance and depth without being over the top. Drink now and over the next three years.

TECHNICAL DATA:

Appellation
Santa Cruz Mountains

WINEMAKER
Michael Martella

VINEYARD
86% TFW Estate, 9% Gist Ranch Vineyard
5% Camel Hill Vineyard

COMPOSITION: 100% Chardonnay

Finished alcohol: 13.8% ABV
Acid/pH: .64/3.43
Oak Treatment: 20% New French Oak
Total production: 2293 cases
Release date: July 1, 2008
California suggested retail: $28.50

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