2010 Alexander Valley Estate Chardonnay
NEW RELEASE
Beautiful citrus and lemon custard aromas as well as lovely orchard fruit notes. Flavors of green pineapple, pear, orange blossom and apple are revealed on the palate, supported by bright, food-friendly acid and subtle textural notes imparted from the French oak and sur lie aging.
Wine Specs
Vintage
2010
Varietal
Chardonnay
PH
3.45
Bottling Date
June 2011
Alcohol %
13.7
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
This is our lowest alcohol Chardonnay to date. As a result it offers beautiful citrus and lemon custard aromas as well as lovely orchard fruit notes. Flavors of green pineapple, pear, orange blossom and apple are revealed on the palate, supported by bright, food-friendly acid and subtle textural notes imparted from the French oak and sur lie aging.
Vineyards
The 2010 vintage was one of the coolest in decades. Cool-to-moderate temperatures with lots of fog continued well into summer, until things warmed up in September, starting with a big heat spike at the beginning of the month. The September warmth kick-started the ripening, and we began a protracted harvest in the third week of September that went all the way into November. Yields were fine in 2010, and the cool weather delivered grapes with fresh, pure varietal flavors at lower alcohols and with good acidity,
The Vintage
To accentuate the signature fruit and natural nuttiness of our estate grapes, we fermented this wine with 100% indigenous yeasts. Aging occurred in both barrels (88%) and larger casks (12%), all of which were French oak (7% new). The wine was fermented sur lie for 8 months and underwent 45% indigenous malolactic fermentation.
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