We released our first wine in April of 1997. It was a Zinfandel. For the next fifteen years we produced
nothing but red wine. During that time
plenty of folks got the impression that I didn’t like white wine. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It’s just that when I launched the winery, I
didn’t have the resources to purchase stainless-steel tanks and the
refrigeration to make white wine the way I wanted to. This all changed when we moved to Amador
County and built our winery and tasting room.
We released a Muscat Canelli in 2012 followed by a Viognier in 2016 and
in 2018 we produced both a Rosé and a Verdelho. It wasn’t until Chardonnay from the Sisters
Vineyard in Los Carneros became available that we had the opportunity to
produce Chardonnay. Our first vintage
was 2020.
Chardonnay is one of Margie’s favorites. It is a rare evening when we don’t share a
glass or two before dinner. Invariably a
portion of our conversation revolved around the wine we were enjoying or not
enjoying. With time we have become quite
the critics of the world’s most widely produced white wine. So, when it came to producing our own
rendition of Chardonnay we knew exactly what we wanted it to be and also what
we didn't want it to be.
To begin we wanted to produce a wine that showcased the
varietal character of Chardonnay. We
wanted more aroma and less bouquet. We
set out to feature the apple, pear, and melon flavors of classic
Chardonnay. To do this we conduct the
first half of the fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel
tanks. By controlling the speed of the
fermentation, the evolution of the carbon dioxide the yeast produces as it
converts grape sugar into ethanol is slower and it doesn’t carry with it the
aromas of the grape. Once the peak of
fermentation is past, we rack the must into barrels where it completes the
fermentation. The barrels we employ are
almost entirely French oak and roughly 25-33% are new. This is a common percentage of new oak, but
whereas many winemakers will age their wines for extended time in barrel, we
age the Chardonnay for just five months.
The objective here is to not overwhelm the wine with an overly oaky
bouquet and risk harsh bitter flavors so common with oak aged white wines with significant
alcohol levels. During its time in oak
the wine does undergo the malo-lactic fermentation which imparts a softer form
of acidity and adds a creaminess to its texture along aromatic notes of butter
and yogurt. We manage the alcohol level
to a more modest 13.7% that keeps the wine lively and bright.
Sisters Vineyard is one of the most southeast vineyards in
Carneros. Can’t go too much further east
without hitting the Napa River or south before the groundwater is impacted from
the salt water of the San Pablo Bay.
Plenty of cool coastal breezes and misty mornings provide the slow deep
ripening that is essential to the fruit forward style of Chardonnay we desired.
