Napa Valley Chardonnay 2016

In 2016, 91% of the grapes for the Napa Valley Chardonnay came from the cool-climate Carneros District at the southern tip of the valley, with 41% of the fruit from Estate Carneros vineyards. Carneros enjoys a long, cool growing season that fully ripens its grapes while retaining the bright acidity that gives this Napa Valley Chardonnay its freshness and vitality. The other 9% of the fruit came from the Oak Knoll district just north of the city of Napa, a slightly warmer, but still cool-to-mild appellation influenced by evening and morning fog. Blending fruit from the two regions results in a rich, yet elegant and complex wine. Grapes were hand-harvested at night to maximize freshness and varietal intensity, then whole-cluster-pressed, with the free-run juice transferred to French oak barrels for fermentation. Twenty-two percent of the wine was put through a secondary, malolactic fermentation to enrich flavors and texture. The 2016 Napa Valley Chardonnay aged sur lie (on the yeast lees) for eight months in 34% new French oak barrels, with periodic stirring of the lees to add an appealingly creamy, slightly yeasty tone to the wine’s crisp, vibrant fruit flavors.