2017 Alder Springs Vineyard Chardonnay
This 2017 offering has layered aromas of mango and pear as well as the signature dried flowers and candied exotic fruit note. This wine typically has the most density and weight of our Chardonnays. It also tends to have more savory than fruit-driven qualities on the palate such as fresh bread, guava and candied ginger notes. Lovely high-mountain acidity adds poise and freshness to the densely packed flavors and long finish. This is a very fine Alder Springs Chardonnay that will reward the patient collector.
The 2017 growing season kicked off with record rainfall, a welcome addition after almost five years of drought. In the early spring the weather began to clear, and the growing season began to look up with sunny and warm conditions. Around flowering, weather conditions started to oscillate between foggy and windy days and unusually hot spikes. This continued into June, where unseasonably hot weather left clusters with small berries and a much lighter crop than predicted. More very hot weather arrived at the end of August and remained for two weeks, causing us to scramble to get the grapes into the winery at ideal ripeness levels. Fortunately, our many farming relationships delivered wonderfully, escaping most of the heat related stresses, delivering perfectly ripe fruit. We started harvest on August 18th with sparkling cuvee and brought our last grapes in on September 27th. When the fires broke out in Napa and Sonoma the night of October 8 we had, fortunately, already picked all our grapes.
In 2017, we selected fruit exclusively from two small blocks at the very top of Alder Springs Vineyard: Emerald Pool and East Face. At 2,600 feet in elevation, these impeccably farmed blocks on the flanks of Cahto Peak in Northern Mendocino represent some of the highest elevation Chardonnay plantings in the state. While this elevation proposes challenges, when conditions align—as they did in 2017—Alder Springs can produce a rare, terroir-inspired wine unlike any other. Our 2017 Alder Springs Vineyard, Mendocino Chardonnay is made from a blend of Dijon clone grapes, as well as Wente and Robert Young clone fruit.
100% Whole-cluster pressed
100% Burgundian French oak barrels (45% new; 55% 1-2-year old)
Bottled without filtration to preserve the wine’s aromas and flavors and enhance aging potential
- Type:
- White
- Varietal:
- Chardonnay
- Region:
- California
- Appellation:
- Mendocino
- Vintage:
- 2017
- Blend:
- 100% Chardonnay fruit
- Aging:
- Sur lie aged with weekly stirring
- Alcohol:
- 13.7%
- Fermentation:
- 100% indigenous yeast fermentations; 100% malo-lactic fermentation in barrel