2010 Sean Minor Four Bears Chardonnay Central Coast

Santa Barbera and Paso Robles fruit, a mixture of barrel fermented and stainless 50/50 and the same with the malo-lactic. A fresh and bright style with a touch of spice but the focus here is on the fresh juicy fruit, apple and lemon citrus, a touch of floral nuance. A nicely balanced style of chardonnay with a hint of oak spice and again lovely freshness on the finish and that floral nuance showing up at the end, a real crowd pleaser. Finish 35 Very Good

Winery Information:

Four Bears Winery and Sean Minor Wines were both born out of Sean and Nicole Minor’s love of wine and their dedication to family. In 2005 they decided to start a business that focused on making delicious, quality wines that continually exceed your expectations.

Sean and Nicole are all about family and they named their business in honor of the next generation, their four children: Nick, Elle, Jack and Charlie. Starting their own winery was both a professional as well as a personal dream. Not long after Nicole and Sean were married, they discovered their second largest monthly expense was wine. I knew this winery was serious because to make great wine you need to know what great wine tastes like and enjoying wine every day with dinner is essential for the scientific process. I remember what Sean said the first time he stopped by the store to show me his family’s wines; “I can’t think of times we don’t enjoy wine”. My sentiments exactly!

After a number of years in the industry, Sean knew there had to be a better and more affordable way to produce great wines without severe consequences on the pocket book. This was a challenge and Sean was up to it so he started Four Bears Winery and began producing wines from premier appellations throughout California. With the help of a family friend and colleague, Will Bucklin, their initial production featured a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast Chardonnay, and Dry Creek Sauvignon Blanc. Since then they have expanded their portfolio of wines which now include a Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley Merlot, Carneros Pinot Noir, Napa Valley Red Blend, Central Coast Pinot Noir and Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon.
Just as the Minor’s family and children have grown, so has their business. They decided their winery would eventually include more than one label – each with a different focus and personality – much like their children. They offer wines under the Sean Minor label and the Sean Minor Four Bears label.

This Chardonnay fruit was 100% whole-cluster pressed to minimize astringency from the skins and immediately racked to stainless steel. Once settled, a portion was fermented in small French oak barrels while the remaining lot was left in stainless steel tanks to ferment. The slow and cool fermentation allowed the wine to develop a balance of ripe tropical fruit flavors and crisp apple and mineral nuances. Once primary fermentation was completed, a portion of the wine went through malo-lactic fermentation which softens the wine and provides a perfect balance.

For a few words about the 2010 vintage I have an interview from the California Wine Institute with one of California’s leading winemakers, Greg Flower. “We are very pleased with Constellation's 2010 California harvest across all of our wineries and properties. In the Central Coast we are seeing great color and structure. The Pinot Noir is so dark and ripe; it has the visual characteristics of a Syrah. Scott Kelly, our winemaker at Estancia, is really excited about the 2010 Monterey County harvest—particularly the flavor development. In Oakville, Genevieve Janssens, our winemaker at Robert Mondavi Winery, noted that coolness in the Napa Valley gave the Cabernet and Merlot an unexpected elegance this year, which we are confident will result in some very high quality wines. In Lodi, at our Woodbridge winery, Todd Zeiman expressed that this harvest yielded the best ripeness and flavor that he has seen in a long time. And finally, in Sonoma—both Clos du Bois winemaker Gary Sitton and Simi’s winemaker Steve Reeder—agree that they are extremely pleased with the quality this year, especially the Chardonnay. There were of course some challenges during this year, which is what makes winemaking such an exciting art. The harvest got off to a late start and the crop was light in areas, but overall, 2010 is going to turn out to be a beautiful year for wine.” Greg Fowler, senior vice president of operations, Constellation Wines U.S.