About The Wine
When we planted our estate vineyard in 2012, we expected it to produce amazing Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay. Even still, most years we are blown away by individual barrels that far exceed our already intense expectations, and when that happens those barrels are set aside and bottled separately as part of our Reserve Series. Our 'Pali Vineyard Reserve' Chardonnay is crafted from the best barrels and the best blocks on our vineyard, including only the most intense and concentrated wines, blended together prior to bottling. It most elegantly expresses the nuanced flavors of the Chardonnay grape and the land they come fromÐa gentle, southeast facing slope comprising mostly sandy soil. All grapes are hand harvested, hand sorted, and directly pressed. The juice was then transferred to individual barrels where a long, cool fermentation occurred. We stirred each barrel daily until bone-dry, and barrel-aged the wine in 100% new French oak barrels for 600 days.
The AVA
With a total area of 30,720 acres, the Sta. Rita Hills AVA is home to over 59 vineyards, totaling 2,700 hundred acres planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and 18 other cool climate wine grape varieties. The combination of a purely East/West maritime throat, poor marine-based soils, elevated calcium in the soil and the PacificÕs cooling influence through fog, wind and moderating summer heat combine to form one of the worldÕs best cool-climate viticulture areas for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Winemaker Notes
Preserved lemon, pineapple, light hazelnut and vanilla bean aromas show on the nose of this reserve bottling. Similar flavors show on the palate, where the texture is smooth rather than grippy.
