* 2003 Chardonnay, Santa Maria Valley

Winemaking Notes
Harvest 2003 was a memorable one—it was Santa Maria Valley’s warmest vintage on record and one of our earliest harvests ever. This extremely small bottling of Chardonnay comes from a vineyard I have worked with for more than 20 years, the Nielson Vineyard, Santa Barbara County's first commercial vineyard. The 30-year-old vines are especially expressive, so a minimalist approach to winemaking allows the character and integrity of the fruit to shine through. The grapes were hand picked and gently pressed as whole clusters. After settling in tank for 12 to 24 hours, the juice was gravity racked to 60-gallon French oak barrels for fermentation. The wine was 100% barrel fermented with 100% malo-lactic fermentation. The Chardonnay remained in barrel for nine months before being bottled in August 2004.

Tasting Notes
This Chardonnay is silky and rich with fresh aromas of golden delicious apple, pear, white peach and honey accented by hints of cinnamon, clove and a mineral, seashell component. A framework of crisp natural acidity gives way to a swell of silkiness toward the finish. The excellent structure and well-defined fruit character ensure this will be a long-lived Chardonnay.