2021 La Vida Bella Vineyard Chardonnay

The 2021 vintage was a welcome change from the catastrophe of 2020. Harvest began in Pinot Noir in early September, which is an historically average starting date. Sugar and acidity levels tracked well and while the crop size was shorter than we would prefer, we were able to harvest perfectly ripened fruit at a reasonable pace. The resulting wines have excellent balance and intensity. In our recent past there are some similarities to 2019 in that the wines possess great elegance and site specificity.

"Lightly toasted almond, lemon zest and delicately creamy aromas invite the nose into this bottling. There is ample body to the palate, where lemon zest and white pepper flavors add a sharp spice to the subtly buttered core. Drink now–2039." - Matt Kettmann, Wine Enthusiast 94 points
Our winemaking is focused on allowing the unique signature of each vineyard site to be expressed. We ferment all of our Pinot Noir in small lots of between one and two tons. We utilize varying percentages of whole bunches (approximately 25-50%), tailored to each site, and ferment the wines without the addition of yeast. Our maceration period lasts from 10-21 days, often including a short per-fermentation cold soak. We age our Pinot Noir in 3 year air dried French Oak, exclusively from the forest of Chatillon. The wines are pressed in a traditional basket press and allowed to settle before barrelling. The wines spend two winters in barrel and are racked only at bottling.
The La Vida Bella Vineyard is located above the floor of the Pleasant Valley area of Corralitos. At 600 feet in elevation and three miles from the ocean there is a very strong maritime effect on this vineyard. Joe Quink and Pam Minnis' site features a large swale on the northern section of the vineyard with some of the steepest terrain in the area.