
Varietal
Chardonnay
Vintage
2018
Charles Heintz Vineyard
Vintage
2018
Appellation
Russian River Valley
Appellation
Russian River Valley
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Tasting NotesThis wine has a beautifully rich and exotic nose of Asian pear, hazelnut, and fig. On the palate, it offers the essence of pure Russian River Valley Chardonnay, with a lush and supple texture, and flowing flavors of baked apple, brown pear, and quince, as well as lingering hints of caramel and crème brûlée from aging in French oak.
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Wine OriginIn general, the 2018 vintage had naturally large yields so we worked closely with the growers throughout the growing season to maintain balance and optimize flavors and quality. This naturally cool growing site did not reflect the trends of the vintage in that the crop was low-yielding. Our grapes from Charles Heintz Vineyard were picked on October 13th, 2018.
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Production NotesIn order to maximize quality, all of the grapes went direct to press as whole clusters. After pressing and settling, the juice was racked into French oak barrels for fermentation. Once dry and finished with malo-lactic fermentation, the lots were aged in barrel for 10 months on the lees, with occasional stirring to increase richness and body. This wine was aged in French oak barrels, 50% of which were new, with the other 50% being one-year-old. The wine was then bottled on May 22nd, 2020.
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Winemaker NotesCharles Heintz has been growing coveted Chardonnay grapes for decades. His namesake vineyard is located in the westernmost part of the Russian River Valley, making it our coolest climate site. Charlie himself has said, “It’s like growing Chardonnay in a rain cloud out here.”