2006 Chardonnay - Alexander Valley [ $28 ]
The 2006 Alexander Valley Chardonnay is a delicious wine with floral and fruit aromas of pear, Fuji apple, citrus and honey graham cracker with a hint of rich caramel and toasted coconut marshmallow. Generous on the palate, creamy vanilla undertones balance layers of toast and spice on the finish, while the tropical flavors linger to the end.
Vintage Notes
Grapes came from our estate vineyards in two distinctly different growing regions in Sonoma County: Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley. A mild late spring and summer ensured a healthy canopy, which provided the perfect combination of sunlight and heat penetrating the grape clusters. These conditions allowed the grapes to reach full maturity in both flavor and structure. Harvest was completed early-October.
Winemakers Notes
Each individual lot for this wine was either whole cluster pressed or gently crushed, de-stemmed, pressed and then cold settled for two days in stainless steel tanks before moving to barrels. Aged separately in French oak, various individual lots were selected to create the final blend. The wines completed 75 percent malolactic fermentation and were sur lie aged and stirred every two weeks for ten months.
| Appellation: |
Alexander Valley |
| Blend: |
100% Chardonnay (96% Alexander Valley; 4% Russian River Valley) |
| Cooperage: |
100% French Oak (
30% new French oak;
70% older French oak) |
| Release Day: |
March 2008 |
