The 2017 growing season started off as a wet one. Record rainfall through April invigorated the vines and bolstered canopies. Moderate-to-warm temperatures followed, allowing the vines to bloom and mature fruit in a balanced and tempered way. We did apply more leafing in our canopy management to counter the invigorating effects of the rain. All of our Chardonnay was picked prior to the wine country fires in early October, and therefore had no impact on the wine. Our prized block of Bacigalupi Chardonnay is quite unique, with a mix of younger vines, along with thick, gnarly trunked decades-old ones. The vineyard was propagated with heritage budwood selections, which provide a natural diversity of flavors from vine to vine. We harvested our Bacigalupi Chardonnay on September 5th, 2017.