The Russian River Valley Chardonnay blend combines our old vine plantings, ideal growing conditions and unique terroir producing a wine that demonstrates the full potential of the Russian River Valley appellation. The combination of vine age, site and winemaking produce a profound wine that provides great insight into the vintage and appellation each year.

Cold grapes arrive at the winery early in the morning after having been picked at night. Grape clusters are sorted by hand and gently transferred as whole clusters directly into our press to undergo an extremely gentle press cycle lasting 3-4 hours. From the settling tank, the juice is moved to 60-gallon French oak barrels, where fermentation is allowed to occur naturally using only native yeast that come in from our vineyards. Limited battonage is used during the first 2-3 months of fermentation in order to encourage the development of a healthy yeast population. Once fermentation is safely underway the wine is not disturbed until the fermentation is complete, which typically takes about 10-11 months. Final blends are assembled and gently racked to stainless steel tanks for about 4-6 months.

The 2019 Russian River Valley Chardonnay is a blend of barrels from five Russian River Valley vineyards: Flora Marie, El Diablo, Ritchie, Banfield, and our Westside Road Estate. It’s always an exceptional introduction to the character of Russian River Valley Chardonnay from the vintage. With contributions from some of the finest Chardonnay vineyards in the appellation and made with slightly less new oak than our vineyard designates, this cuvée offers the highest level of early drinkability in our portfolio while maintaining an extraordinary degree of quality. 2019 follows in the footsteps of 2018 as a relatively cool vintage, evidenced in the glass by a lively and mouthwatering acid profile. Notes of lemon curd, melon, and white flowers are joined by a faint note of warm baking spice and caramelized sugar.