Our style for our Chardonnay is more down the middle than any other direction. We are looking for the fruit to be the star and the oak to be a supporting cast. When producing our chardonnay, we strive to build layers within the wine by using a few different fermentation techniques. We split up our juice into tanks and barrels after it has been pressed, which allows us to ferment some of the Chardonnay in stainless steel and the other in barrel creating two distinctly different wines, which we later blend together. We use around 35% new American oak in our blend and a mix of older and barrels for the aging process.

AVA Our Chardonnay is sourced from a few vineyards in the Russian River Valley AVA in Sonoma County, CA. This region named for the river that meanders through the territory creating cool temperatures and thick foggy mornings, which are ideal for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The cool mornings help the fruit retain its natural acidity giving the wine a crisp juicy taste. Late in the afternoon the fog burns off and temperatures rise allowing the fruit ripen, developing their big fruit flavors. Russian River Valley is truly one of the most amazing places on the planet to grow grapes!

Varietal Our Chardonnay consists of mostly Wente Clone 4, which was identified in Carneros in 1955. A highly-regarded clone, many of the great Chardonnays of the mid-1990s had Clone 4 as a base. Though it is more subject to vintage variation than other clones, under the right conditions, it produces healthy yields with larger than average, late-maturing clusters, and a very high acidity level, even at ripe brix.