2019 Hendry Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, Napa Valley, USA

The Hendry Vineyard is located on benchlands just west of the town of Napa. The Chardonnay vines grow on thin, stony soils between 200 and 300 feet above sea level. The vineyard is at the intersection of the cooler Carneros appellation and the greater Napa Valley, which becomes warmer as you travel northward. Morning fog and afternoon breezes from the San Pablo Bay moderate the climate, giving us long, warm summer days and cooler nights.

This wine is a selection from: Block 9 (KD selection), Block 19, (Dijon 96), and Block 20 (Dijon 95 clone). In 2019, budbreak occurred March 23rd - 24th; bloom occurred May 21st. Median veraison occurred July 30th- August 2nd, and the grapes were harvested between September 4th and September 18th. Bloom to harvest averaged 106 days, with an average yield of 2.49 tons per acre across the three blocks, Block 9 yielding just 1.89 tons per acre.

The Barrel Fermented Chardonnay is whole-cluster pressed and then cold-settled.  It is barrel fermented sur lie and aged in French oak barrels for 11 months, without racking, undergoing frequent battonage, or stirring, in the barrels. Approximately one-third of the barrels are new each year. The Barrel Fermented Chardonnay does not undergo any malolactic fermentation, which is important for retaining its food-friendly acidity.

Lemon yellow color. On the nose, sweet baked apple fruit, floral aromas, soft and dusty oak, and toasted marshmallow/burnt sugar. Medium-bodied. Young now, with nectarine and apple fruit, and passionfruit acid. Lemon zest in the finish.