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. Élevage was 17 months in 80% new French oak, 3 year air dried wood from the forests of Allier. the weekly batonage builds some flesh and richness into the taut mineral spine of our mountain fruit. Bottled unfiltered.

 

Tasting Notes
The 2006 estate Chardonnay is another shining example of mountain Chardonnay. Lemon oil and crushed rock are immediately identifiable flavors. With time brioche and toast flavors emerge. The acidity is fine and pronounced, though there is ample “flesh” to the wine. It is strikingly balanced
and should age well over the next 2-6 years at minimum.

Technical Data

Appellation:
Santa Cruz Mountains

Winemaking Team:
Michael Martella and nathan Kandler

Vineyards:
Our 2006 Santa Cruz Mountains, estate, Chardonnay is a barrel select blend of lots from our various estate vineyards (42% Langley Hill, 35% Damiana, 10% Portola Springs, 7% Albutom, 6% Gist Ranch). Barrels within these lots were chosen for concentration, purity and typicity; each one selected individually. This bottling highlights the mountainous, maritime climate and unique soils of our estate. When it comes to making wine, the Santa Cruz Mountains is really unlike anywhere else in California.

Finished Alcohol:
13.9%

Acid/PH:
.66/3.39

Oak Treatment :
100% French 17 Months, 80% new oak

Total Production:
707 cases

Release Date:
March 28, 2009

Retail Price:
$48.00

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