It has been said that Chardonnay shows the hand of the winemaker more than other varietals. Our winemaker, Greg Morthole, believes there is some truth in that, but also believes the best vineyard sites yield fruit that distinctively express the characteristics of their location. Greg’s signature is embedded in each vintage as he blends his favorite blocks and clones from our River West Vineyard. The end result is a Chardonnay that is delicious and shows characteristics of its origins derived from careful and deliberate winemaking choices which highlight the best lots of Chardonnay.

Our single vineyard River West Chardonnay gains its structure from its bright citrusy acidity, a defining characteristic that we temper with fermentation in French oak barrels, 100% malolactic fermentation, and sur-lie aging with plenty of bâtonnage. For the 2014 vintage we found that once again the favored blocks still reigned supreme. These were blended to complement each other in the glass, lending citrus, tropical and floral tones to the nose along with classic green apple and pear. We used only a few of our favorite coopers, each chosen for the nuances their barrels lend to chardonnay. The 34% new French oak rounded out the acidity and added creamy and slightly toasty aromas.