2018 Donnelly Creek Chardonnay
The 2018 Chardonnay is all about balance. As usual, the wine is enticing right out of the bottle, displaying aromas of citrus, fresh peach, honeysuckle, and toasted brioche. In the glass, the fruit flavors are ripe and forward, with summer stone fruit and melon balanced by dependable Anderson Valley acidity.
Wine Club Members Receive 20-25% Off
Tasting Notes
The evenly paced 2018 harvest shows itself in our beautiful bottling from Donnelly Creek Vineyard, a Chardonnay that is all about balance. As usual, the wine is enticing right out of the bottle, displaying aromas of citrus, fresh peach, honeysuckle, and toasted brioche. In the glass, the fruit flavors are ripe and forward, with summer stone fruit and melon balanced by dependable Anderson Valley acidity. Barrel-fermentation and nine months of aging in French oak have added a tasty richness to this elegant Chardonnay.
Vineyard Designation
Donnelly Creek Chardonnay
Vineyard Notes
2018 came in like a lion and went out like a lamb. The vines awoke two weeks late due to a cool spring, had ample crop, which had to be thinned, and then cool weather at the end of September brought an early rain which delayed reopening another week and vintners braced for the worst. Next thing we knew the skies cleared and we enjoyed a slow harvest with beautiful fruit. Of course, the early ripening Chardonnay was harvested before the rain, but the long cool summer added two weeks of hang time, resulting in mature aromas.
Winemaker Notes
The grapes were harvested early in the morning and whole bunch pressed into tank. After 48 hours settling the juice was racked into French oak barrels (25% new). The barrels were not inoculated, and 3 days later wild yeast began to noticeably ferment. After about 15 days the barrels were inoculated with malolactic bacteria as the ferments finished. The barrels were topped and stirred biweekly until the New Year, then only topped. The wine remained on lees for 6 months. This wine was filtered to allow aging but not fined.
| Vintage |
2018 |
| Wine Style |
White Wine |
| Varietal |
Chardonnay |
| Varietal Composition |
100%
Chardonnay
|
| Appellation |
Anderson Valley |
| Harvest Date |
September 20, 2018 |
| Acid |
6.8g/L |
| PH |
3.33 |
| Aging |
9 months |
| Barrel Aging |
9 months
75%
Neutral Oak
25%
New French Oak
|
| Bottling Date |
June 27, 2019 |
| Alcohol % |
13.6 |
| Size |
750 ml |
