Wine Article
2016 Grgich Hills Chardonnay
Last edited on 4/30/2020 by murphsmurf
This is the only version of this article / View version history
Classically-styled wine that is alive with delicious, food friendly acidity. Fermented and aged 10 months in French oak.
Miljenko “Mike” Grgich has been called “The Kind of Chardonnay” since the winery began in 1977, and you can taste why in this classically-styled wine. We did not allow the Chardonnay to undergo malolactic fermentation, preserving its natural acidity. This wine opens with fresh lemon and orange aromas followed by more subtle notes of lemon zest and a hue of marzipan. These notes follow onto the palate, with balanced acidity that carries through from the first sip to the last, giving the wine great freshness and minerality.
Vintage
The string of near perfect vintages continued for the fifth year in 2016, with an early bud break and flowering followed by sunny days and relatively mild temperatures through the growing season. We were able to have almost all our grapes safely in the cellar before the valley’s first significant fall rainstorm arrived on October fourteenth.
Vineyard
Our Chardonnay thrives in our American Canyon and Carneros vineyards in the southern tip of Napa Valley, near San Pablo Bay, which spills in to the San Francisco Bay. The cool maritime breezes and morning fog allow the grapes to slowly ripen to develop complex flavors while maintaining a bright, natural acidity. We farm all of our vineyards naturally, without artificial pesticides or herbicides, and they are certified organic.
Alcohol 14.1%
Fermentation indigenous yeast
Harvest date Aug. 31 – Sept. 16, 2016
Sugar 23.5 Brix average
Bottling date July 2019
Release Date July 2019
Total acid 7.0 g/L
pH 3.3
Blend 100% Chardonnay
Miljenko “Mike” Grgich has been called “The Kind of Chardonnay” since the winery began in 1977, and you can taste why in this classically-styled wine. We did not allow the Chardonnay to undergo malolactic fermentation, preserving its natural acidity. This wine opens with fresh lemon and orange aromas followed by more subtle notes of lemon zest and a hue of marzipan. These notes follow onto the palate, with balanced acidity that carries through from the first sip to the last, giving the wine great freshness and minerality.
Vintage
The string of near perfect vintages continued for the fifth year in 2016, with an early bud break and flowering followed by sunny days and relatively mild temperatures through the growing season. We were able to have almost all our grapes safely in the cellar before the valley’s first significant fall rainstorm arrived on October fourteenth.
Vineyard
Our Chardonnay thrives in our American Canyon and Carneros vineyards in the southern tip of Napa Valley, near San Pablo Bay, which spills in to the San Francisco Bay. The cool maritime breezes and morning fog allow the grapes to slowly ripen to develop complex flavors while maintaining a bright, natural acidity. We farm all of our vineyards naturally, without artificial pesticides or herbicides, and they are certified organic.
Alcohol 14.1%
Fermentation indigenous yeast
Harvest date Aug. 31 – Sept. 16, 2016
Sugar 23.5 Brix average
Bottling date July 2019
Release Date July 2019
Total acid 7.0 g/L
pH 3.3
Blend 100% Chardonnay