Chardonnay Napa Valley 2016

About This Wine
On the nose: Explosion of salted caramel, gingerbread, cedar, licorice, butterscotch, canned pineapples, apricots, orange blossoms
On the palate: Round entrance evolving on grapefruit, quince, star fruit, honey, white chocolate lingering on toasted brioche, graphite
Wine Profile
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Fermentation: 100% barrel fermented, sur lies
Aging: 16 months, 100% French oak; 65% new, 35% 1-year-old barrels
Vintage Notes:
2016 was a near-perfect growing season thanks to ideal weather conditions, giving Napa Valley another winner in a string of historic vintages. Spring bud break came early due to dry and relatively warm soils from a drought winter. This essentially sped-up the entire growing cycle, and we were able to monitor progress in the vineyard without any major heat spikes to cause concern. Picking for whites began in late August. We could essentially operate on our own harvest schedule and time our pick dates for ideal ripening. It’s never really correct to say that farming is easy, but 2016 was pretty close to stress-free.