2019 “Boon Fly's Hill” Chardonnay
TASTING NOTES
Vibrant aromas of lemon and lime zest, fresh pineapples, white flowers, and a hint of salinity. This stellar vintage of Chardonnay is bursting with flavors of fresh tangerine, white peach, and lemon curd, and the texture is luscious and soft, leading to a long, warming finish of peach cobbler and toasted marshmallow. A beautifully integrated wine that is generous, complex and serious.
HISTORY
Poseidon Vineyard, located at the confluence of Carneros Creek and the Napa River, was planted in 1973 by the Molnar Family to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The maritime environment of the Carneros region delivers cool, foggy mornings followed by warm days that slowly nurture ripening. Rising at the southernmost edge of the vineyard is the small, gravelly “Boon Fly's Hill” that overlooks the Napa Valley Marina; boats bob in the water just a few steps away. Boon Fly was a colorful character from the 19th century that legend has it lived on this hill. This two-acre block of vines ripens earlier than the rest of our Chardonnay blocks, a result of the naturally low crop that sets in this well-drained soil. Clusters are smaller here, and so are the berries themselves. Because the vines are more exposed, the sun-kissed fruit develops the ripe, rich flavors that make this wine so opulent
VINTAGE
The 2019 growing season got off to a wet and cool start, but a moderate summer allowed for normal vine development and a slightly above-average sized crop. As the summer progressed, the vines made up for some of their late start. A comfortable fall allowed for longer hang time, good fruit maturity and excellent flavor development. The harvest started with a leisurely pace and quickened at the start of October.
WINEMAKING
The fruit was harvested at dawn and pressed whole-cluster, the juice immediately placed in 100% new Kádár Hungarian oak barrels. The barrels are quickly placed into a cold room where long, slow primary and secondary fermentations preserve aromatics and allow for the lees to contribute creamy flavors to the wine. After nine months, the wine is racked off clean to neutral barrels and aged an additional six months before bottling, unfined and lightly filtered.
Alex Beloz, Winemaker