2019 Estate Chardonnay

TASTING NOTES
Vibrant aromas of lemon, lemon curd, Granny Smith apple, graham crackers, and vanilla bean. The palate reflects these flavors with a touch of lanolin and tangerine. The fruit and a finely grained acidity strike a wonderful balance.  

HISTORY
Poseidon Vineyard, located at the confluence of Carneros Creek and the Napa River, was planted in 1973 by the Molnar Family to the Burgundian varietals: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The maritime environment of the Carneros grape-growing season delivers cool, foggy mornings followed by warm days that slowly nurture ripening.

VINTAGE
The 2019 Chardonnay 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. As a precaution against wildfires, our cellar was in the power company’s blackout zone, throwing the crew for a loop. But our outage was short, and proved harmless to the ongoing fermentations—it was one of the few sources of anxiety in an otherwise textbook season.

WINEMAKING
The fruit was pressed whole-cluster in small batches over the course of two weeks. A portion of the juice was tank-fermented while other portions were barrel-fermented in large format Kádár barrels in our temperature-controlled cellar. Partial malolactic fermentation was completed only on the barrel-fermented portion to build up mouthfeel that helps to frame the natural acidity of the blend. The various components of these wines were finally blended right before bottling. 

Alex Beloz, Winemaker