2023 Langley Hill Chardonnay

The 2023 growing season was the coolest season since 2011 and one of the longest, latest growing seasons in the 40+ years of Fogarty Winery. We began the harvest on September 25 with the Sauvignon Blanc from Gist Ranch and began to pick Pinot Noir later that week. The estate Chardonnay harvest didn’t begin till October 19th. We finished with our Nebbiolo on November 14th, one of the latest picks we have ever made!

The wines are bright and aromatic with good depth and intensity. It is an elegant vintage that should age well. The wines will benefit from some additional time in the bottle as they are showing somewhat reticently in their youth. This seems to be a very strong vintage for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, especially the old vines on the estate – Rapley Trail and Langley Hill in particular.

"The 2023 Chardonnay Langley Hill Vineyard is a wine of impeccable balance and distinctive character. It ticks all the boxes with a real sense of poise and finesse, even though it sits on the soft-spoken, elegant side. The Langley Hill turns out layers of lemon pith, green apple, crushed rocks and chalk, with a notable phenolic finish." - Billy Norris, Vinous 94 pts
Cold, whole-cluster pressing, no settling, barrel fermentation with native yeast and spontaneous malolactic fermentations highlight the wonderful purity inherent in our Santa Cruz Mountains Chardonnay. This 'hands off' approach in the cellar allows for maximum site expression. We ferment and age our Chardonnay in three year air-dried French Oak barrels, sur-lie with no batonage. Following 10-12 months in oak, the wines are racked, with their lees, to stainless steel for an additional four to six months of élevage.
Langley Hill Vineyard is our largest estate Chardonnay. Planted in 1979-1980, this 5.25-acre vineyard occupies a steep hillside with numerous exposures and soil depths. This complex arrangement leads to slower and varied ripening, requiring multiple picks spread over weeks rather than days. Fractured sandstone over Lambert Shale yields Chardonnay that is steely and structured with persistent citrus and mineral flavors.