Russian River Valley

Vintage Notes

An early spring with unseasonable heat marked the beginning of the 2022 growing season. However, by the middle of the vintage, a long and mild summer had set in with the predictable pattern of fog rolling in most evenings and burning off by midmorning in most cases with few “pea soup” days to stall ripening after verasion took place. This set the fruit on a path for long even ripening with full phenolic development. However, right at harvest mother nature threw a couple of curveballs, first in the form of more heatwaves followed closely by early rainstorms, increasing the threat of mildew and botrytis exponentially. However, careful canopy management and sugar monitoring meant the fruit came in clean and mostly unaffected by the late rains or excessive heat.

Winemaker Notes

“Taking on a sunnier and riper profile, the 2021 Chardonnay Russian River Valley offers notes of orange peel, toasted spices, and poached pear. Offering more immediacy on the palate, this medium to full-bodied white has a more rounded fruit profile and a bit of pithy texture, with notes of golden yellow apple, chamomile, and a touch of bitter nuttiness on the back. It’s prime for drinking now or over the next 5-7 years.”- 94pts, Jeb Dunnuck