Crafting Chardonnay

Crafting Chardonnay

Carneros Chardonnays are famous for lively citrus, green apple and tropical (pineapple) flavors.  The long, cool growing season in Carneros gives Chardonnay fruit tremendously long “hang time” on the vine.  Cooler temperatures allow the fruit to retain a firm acid structure while developing varietal character.  White wines obtain their framework from acidity while red wines obtain theirs from a combination of tannins and acid. But wines such as this are not forced into existence.  Rather, they are coaxed along gently, using just the right amount of winemaking technique to allow the unique flavors to express themselves.  Read on to learn how.

Harvest

We monitor ripening in each small vineyard block throughout the growing season and carefully select grapes when the perfect balance of sweetness and acidity is reached.  The fruit is then gently harvested and brought quickly to the winery.  There are a variety of Chardonnay clones planted in site-specific vineyards on our estate — and each contributes a different characteristic to the finished blend.

Crush

As soon as the grapes enter the winery, they are slowly crushed by our membrance press — a modern device that inflates a balloon against the whole clusters to gently extract their precious juices and leave the skins, stems and seeds behind.  Such gentle treatment avoids undue bitterness and allows for less time–consuming "cleaning up", meaning the winemaking commences sooner while the juice is fresher. U nlike red wine, the juice is kept separate from the skins and the tannins they impart.

Fermentation

To retain the vivid, fruity flavors and full varietal character of the Carneros fruit, our Chardonnay undergoes primary fermentation in, small, 60–gallon oak barrels. Here yeast converts the sugars into alcohol and flavorful esters, the first step in the transformation from juice to wine. Moderately cool fermentation temperatures (low/high 60s — low 70s) retain brighter fruit flavors and complexity without becoming overly fruity.  Warmer temperatures cook the fruit flavors out of the juice, leaving bland wine.  As all of the fermenting wine is in individual barrels, temperature control is done by cooling the entire room.

Aging

Inside the barrels, the wine first undergoes malolactic fermentation, a process that converts tangy, harsh acids into softer buttery flavors and textures.  Chardonnay undergoes 100% malolactic fermentation to soften the acid impact of the wine and to round the texture.  The characteristic high acid of Carneros allows this without lowering the acids too much, keeping the wine crisp. Primary fermentation in oak barrels helps reserve and enchance the unique natural qualities of our fruit.  We age the Chardonnay in a combination of expensive French oak, which impart pleasing notes of vanilla and coconut plus spices such as nutmeg and clove.

The wine is then aged sur lie, or "on the spent yeast," which further develops the flavor, adds a creamy mouthfeel and marries the wine and oak flavors.  The yeast settles to the bottom of the barrel and is stirred up by hand every few weeks to hasten the process.  The yeast also absorbs oxygen to aid in resisting oxidation.

Blending

From harvest to aging, each vineyard lot is kept seperate, ensuring its unique varietal flavors are not obscured.  At the end of the aging process, Jeff Stewart creates the finished blend of these lots, building layers of aromas, flavors and textures in the finished wine.

Jeff’s Carneros Chardonnays are crafted to display deft balance between elegant fruit, subtle oak and the signature Carneros acidity.  He concentrates on highlighting the lemon drop, citrus rind, apple and pear flavors with background notes of spice and hazelnut.  The oak is secondary to the fruit flavors and barrels are chosen that lend creamy "sweet" aromas with nutmeg and butterscotch and that give roundness of texture.  The wine typically spends 9 months in wood.