Wine Article

CHARDONNAY NAPA VALLEY is a blend of our shy-bearing blocks of the Hudson and Hyde vineyards in the cool Napa Carneros. The Hudson vines provide the extravagant richness and the peach pit and almond aromatic intensity. The Hyde vineyard contributes to the mineral depth of the wine and the super high tones in the aroma. Like The Judge, this wine spends 22 months in the barrel in which it was fermented. The idea of the long barrel aging is to bring out the mineral character and allow the fruit to loom in the background. This aging encompasses the slow fermentation and the subsequent very gentle exposure to oxygen, which both prepares the wine for graceful bottle ageing and unifies the wine’s diverse character into one complex voice. Like the amazing 2002 vintage, this Chardonnay fermented for 14 months. The indigenous yeast worked slowly but steadily and the fruit of their struggle is the extravagantly opulent and complex finish.