Voted #1 Chardonnay By The Glass - Wine & Spirits
91 Points - California Grapevine - Aug 2019
90 Points - Wine Enthusiast
Best of Class & Double Gold - West Coast Wine Competition - Feb 2019
Gold Medal - San Francisco Chronicle - Jan 2019
Gold Medal - New World International - Feb 2019
Gold Medal - Sunset Int’l Wine Competition - June 2019
Gold Medal - Critics Challenge - June 2019
Offers a wide array of tropical/citrus notes, and maintains the perfect acidity and freshness. Well-made Chardonnay. Perfect for year round enjoyment.
VINEYARDS
The foundation for the 2018 Carneros Chardonnay is Frank Family’s Lewis Vineyard, located in the heart of Napa-Carneros, near the shores of the San Pablo Bay. It is made up of 78 acres planted on gently rolling hills, with 68 acres planted to Chardonnay and 10 acres planted to Pinot Noir. The predominant maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean creates the cool temperature, fog and wind that make Carneros ideally suited for growing cool climate varietals. The Lewis Vineyard consists primarily of shallow and dense clay loam soils, receiving only 20 inches of rainfall annually. The restricting soils result in extremely low yields, producing grapes with strong character and balanced acidity. Other fruit sources for this wine include Beckstoffer Vineyards and Hudson Vineyards located in Napa-Carneros, and Sangiacomo Vineyards located in Sonoma-Carneros.
COOPERAGE
Barrel fermented in 34% new, 33% once and 33% twice-filled French oak barrels for 9 months. While ageing on the lees, the wine was hand stirred regularly to promote depth and longevity.
Vintage: 2018
Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Appellation: 100% Carneros
Harvest Date: September 2nd - 26th, 2018
Bottled: July 2019
pH: 3.47
TA: 0.61 g/100ml
Aging: Barrel fermented in 34% new, 33% once and 33% twice-filled French oak barrels for 9 months. While ageing on the lees, the wine was hand stirred regularly to promote depth and longevity.
Alcohol: 14.4%
Wine Maker: Todd Graff
98 Points, Best of Class
Super-Tuscan style blend offering aromas of ripe berries and black fruits, interwoven with hints of vanilla, caramel, raw tobacco, leather, clove, blood orange peel, and roasted walnuts. Rich and generous flavors of briary blackberry, dark cherry, ripe plum and cassis.
Plush & Velvety
Aromas of wild berries are interlaced with nuances of fresh lavender, dark chocolate truffle, baking spices, and cigar box, with generous flavors of ripe blackberry, blueberry, dark cherry and fresh currants are layered with hints of cocoa, cassis, allspice, and wild sage.
Modern, Sexy & Full
Aromas of wild blackberries and blueberries interwoven with enchanting notes of fresh mint, lavender, roasted walnut, savory spices, and a captivating hint of dark chocolate drizzled with fine balsamic. Notes of plum, blueberry and cassis with hints of wild sage, licorice, black pepper, and an elegant touch of fine-grained oak.
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