Inspiration
I produce this Chardonnay as
a tribute to my wife and winery partner, Diana. I sourced grapes for Cuvée
Diana from the best vineyard sites in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. We feel the consistent
quality of our Chardonnay contributes to the world-class reputation of our wine
region.
The
Harvest
The weather in 2019 was
fairly moderate during the growing season and continued into harvest. I sourced
the grapes from La Rinconada Vineyard, which is located near Sanford Winery. The
grapes were harvested on September 18th, with a sugar content of
23.3 Brix and outstanding acidity.
Winemaking
The grapes were whole-cluster
pressed and the juice settled for 24 hours in a tank before being racked to
barrels for fermentation. After a 7-day fermentation, the barrels were topped
off to begin barrel aging. The wine was aged in French oak barrels for 14
months. Only 15% of the barrels were new. This relatively low percentage of new
oak allowed the beautiful fruit aromatics and flavors of the Chardonnay to be
emphasized. The wine was bottled in January 2021.
The
Wine
The wine has a light straw
gold color. The aromas are a complex mixture of nutmeg, brown sugar and baked
apples. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied with flavors similar to those
of the aromas. The wine has a rich, oily texture in the mid-palate and ends
with a crisp citrusy finish which is contributed by the excellent acidity of
the wine.
Food
Pairings
This elegant and flavorful
Chardonnay will pair well with a variety of seafood including lobster, halibut
and rainbow trout.
