current release
2021 DUNDEE HILLS INCLINE chardonnay
winemaker notes
The 2021 Dundee Hills Incline Chardonnay is bright and expressive. It opens with honeyed pear, guava, and piercing key lime. The wine has a gorgeous golden hue, as rich in color as it is in flavor. The palate is full, round, and satiating. Tons of flavor is balanced with a zesty acidity that is true to our Iron Filbert estate. This wine is showing beautifully already in its youth and holds even more promise with age.
winemaking details
Sourced from our Iron Filbert Vineyard in the Dundee Hills, featuring predominantly clone 95. Our Chardonnay is sorted slowly by hand and pressed whole cluster with no settling time before barreling down. 100% barrel fermented with native yeasts. This wine went through full malolactic fermentation and was aged on lees for 11 months in neutral French Oak puncheon. Alcohol of 12.5%.
vintage notes
We kicked off harvest on August 30th and wrapped up Chardonnay the first week of September. On September 7th, we began harvesting and pressing our Rosé. By mid-September, we were well into picking out our Iron Filbert Vineyard. We started with Block 3, the bottom section of the vineyard and made our way up the hill steadily. The last pick for our Dundee Hills estate was on September 29th. As we slowly harvested our estate, the team was balancing new fruit and growing ferments. Many of the Chardonnay barrels had completed fermentation and required persistent topping to maintain high quality. We did gentle pump overs each morning. ''This year, we incorporated a small percentage of whole cluster into the ferments. In hot, riper vintages like we are working with now, the stems are lignified enough to benefit and add beautiful complexity to the ferments. '' We began draining, pressing, and barreling down during the last week of September. It is a satisfying moment for the team to tuck away full barrels and know that the wine is safe from the elements. We brought in our first fruit from the Quartz Acorn Vineyard on Friday, October 1st.
wine information
Fruit for this label is sourced from our organically farmed Iron Filbert Vineyard in the Dundee Hills. Only 130 cases were produced in 2021.
reviews
2017 vintage | 93 points Wine Spectator
Refined and expressive, with apple, star fruit and steely mineral flavors that build richness toward a long, supple finish. Drink now through 2020.—T.F.
2018 vintage | 93 points Wine Enthusiast
Sleek and focused, this cellar-worthy effort starts out with tart, penetrating flavors of Meyer lemon juice and rind. The lush acidity is not sour; rather it's clean and supportive of the wine's natural nervosity. Details of spice and citrus emerge with ample breathing. Drink now–2028. — PAUL GREGUTT