2012 CHARDONNAY GRATON’S CHOICE

The Vintage:
There is very little to say about this dream vintage that has not
been said. This textbook vintage couldn’t have come out any
better if drawn up on a blackboard ahead of time. A warm
spring for set and a warm summer sans the requisite excessive
heat, even ripening all the way to late September/mid-October
made for a combination of high yields (even after multiple
passes of dropping fruit) and yes yielding high quality, powerful
wines. This vintage eschews the notion of better wines coming
from lower yields.

Winemaker’s Notes:
This is the third bottling from this youthful vineyard and this
bottling indicates the vineyard is beginning to move from that
youthful firmness to a more mature suppleness. Scents of lemon
zest, orange marmalade are put forth immediately upon opening.
A rush of opulent weight, fruit notes of sweet peach, lemon curd
toasted almond linger longer on the finish longer than one would
expect in a wine whose vineyard is in its junior year. Another
year of two should improve this bottling.

Technical Notes:
Bottled: February 2, 2014
Yield: 1.26 tons/acre
Total Acidity: 6.6 g/L
pH: 3.57
Alcohol: 14.1%
Grape Source:Russian River Valley
Dutton Graton’s Choice Vineyard
Clone: Wente-Hyde Selection
Aging:Sixteen months in 60 gallon
French oak barrels: 50% new;
50% from Tonnellerie Sirugue
and 50% from Francois Freres
Harvest:September 8th
at 24.6 degree brix
Release Date:September 1, 2014
Malolactic Fermentation:100%
Winemaker: William Hunter
Production: 100 cases
Alcohol: 14.1%

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