
Varietal
Chardonnay
Vintage
2017
Bacigalupi Vineyard
Vintage
2017
Appellation
Russian River Valley
Appellation
Russian River Valley
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Tasting Noteshis enticing Chardonnay has a brilliant pale-yellow color, with candied pineapple and rich papaya aromas that make it both luxurious and lively. On the palate, bright acidity provides poise and balance to the ripe tropical flavors, making this a perfect Chardonnay to enjoy with food, or for your sipping pleasure on a hot day.
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Accolades2017 MacRostie Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay – 92 Points: Excellent; highly recommended “This wine is rich and intensely citrus-driven, with robust oak and concentration. Balanced acidity helps contrast against the generous tropical fruit, crème brûlée, and baking spice, allowing for a crisp finish.”
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Wine OriginLong famous as one of the key growers for the Chardonnay that won the momentous 1976 Judgement of Paris Tasting, the Bacigalupi family are winegrowing icons in Russian River Valley. This Chardonnay comes from a property that neighbors our MacRostie Estate House on Westside Road—the acclaimed Bacigalupi Frost Ranch.
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Production NotesThe 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.
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Winemaker NotesIn order to maximize quality, the harvested grapes went directly to press as whole clusters, and were gently pressed. This provides a distinct mouthfeel texture. After settling, the juice was racked into French oak barrels for fermentation. This wine spent its entire life in barrel, where it completed primary and secondary malolactic fermentations. It was aged on the lees for 10 months in 20% new French oak barrels, and 40% once-filled French oak barrels to complete the elevage. In order to increase richness and body, it was occasionally stirred to suspend the lees and soften the texture. It was bottled on August 13th, 2018.