97 Points - PLATINUM - 2019 Decanter Wine Awards
93 Points - GOLD - EXCEPTIONAL - 2019 World Wine Championships
92+ Points - RP
91 Points- Jeb Dunnuck - January 31, 2019
Opens up with aromas of fresh lemon and orange followed by subtle notes of lemon zest and a touch of marzipan. These notes follow onto the palate, with balanced acidity carrying through from the first sip to the last giving the wine great freshness and minerality. Delicious now, or perfect for aging in your cellar. Enjoy with herb-crusted pork ribs, grilled chicken Caesar salad, poached salmon and more.
Vintage: The string of near perfect vintages continued for the fifth year in 2016, with an early bud break and flowering followed by sunny days and relatively mild temperatures throughout the growing season. We were able to have almost all our grapes safely in the cellar before the valley's first significant fall rainstorm arrived on October fourteenth.
Vineyard: This Chardonnay thrives American Canyon and Carneros vineyards in the southern tip of Napa Valley, near San Pablo Bay, which spills into the San Francisco Bay. The cool maritime breezes and morning fog allow the grapes to slowly ripen to develop complex flavors while maintaining a pleasing natural acidity that is impossible to achieve in warmer areas. Farmed all naturally, without artificial pesticides or herbicides, and they are certified organic.
Alcohol: 14.1%
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Appellation: Napa Valley Estate
Harvest date: Aug. 31 - Sept. 16, 2016
Sugar: 23.5 Brix (average)
Fermentation: indigenous yeast
Total acid: 7.0 g/L
pH: 3.3
Aging: Fermented and aged 10 months
Type of oak: French oak; 75% neutral, 25% new
Bottling date: July 2017
Release date: July 2019
92 Points
Aromas of blackberry, dried fig, black cherry, blackberry coulis, toasted vanilla, and a hint of cigar box. The palate offers rich and velvety tannins, dark chocolate-covered cherries, black plum, mixed berry pie and toasted walnut. Long and expressive with loads of flavor.
94 Points, Wine Enthusiast
This opulent wine opens with aromas of blackberry, black plum, violets and spice on the nose. Flavors on the palate of dark cherry, sarsaparilla and orange zest wrap around dried tobacco leaf, malt chocolate and toasted vanilla, with a long, supple finish.
