'07 Chardonnay Reserve

AROMAS: It opens expressing an aromatic bouquet of hazelnuts and cream soda, accompanied by aromas of Citrus peel and apricots. This then gives way to a blend of Vanilla and an array of tropical fruit accents when allowed to air. FLAVORS: Full of fruit, with flavors of fresh pear, honey, lemon and a creamy texture. This is a mouth filling wine with a long mid palate and clean finish.

Night harvested in October using low yielding “dijon” clones from the Santa Lucia highlands bench, in Monterey County, produced a dramatic wine complex in tropical fruit flavors. The fruit arrives cold and is pressed, racked to barrel, then fermented in French oak barrels coopered to our own specifications to dryness. Using indigenous yeast and allowed to complete malolactic fermentation on its own over the winter, we then transferred to dem-muids stirring the barrels monthly and aging the wine “sur lie” for sixteen months.

The moderate acidity, richness and full fruit flavors make this a perfect wine for pairing with rich foods such as lobster, crab, abalone or a more casual fare such as pâté, fresh fruit and a variety of hard and soft cheeses.

The wine is well balanced with moderate acidity and a reasonable alcohol level allowing it to improve over the course of the next two vintages with an ageing potential of an additional two years. There is a lusciousness that showcases how Chardonnay can be both, big and rich, yet soft and supple.