2008 Chardonnay - Russian River Valley / Russian River Selection
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VINTAGE
The 2008 growing season was a roller coaster year. It began with dry warm weather that started vines growing early. Then there were freezing temperatures during the spring (down to 23 degrees F. in some areas of Sonoma County) causing some damage due to frost, followed by excessive heat and high wind during bloom. Thereafter we had slightly above average temperatures, followed by slightly below average temperatures all summer long. From a winemaking perspective, the dry growing season produced the benefit of inducing "moderate stress" on the vines, which limited growth of the canopy and focused the vines' energy on the grapes. The smaller berries with the slightly lighter crop combined to produce beautiful concentrated fruit flavors.
WINEMAKING
The creation of “cuvees” is clearly among our most important and exciting tasks, resulting in the finest possible blends utilizing all our best sources. This vintage is sourced from some the top Chardonnay vineyard properties.
WINEMAKER'S NOTES
This 2008 Russian River Chardonnay shows a lemon-gold color with medium intensity and bright clarity in appearance. The developing nose has medium plus intensity and shows ripe apple, pear, acacia blossom, lemon, toast, popcorn and vanilla. The palate is dry with medium plus acidity, body, flavor intensity and length, showing additional notes of citrus peel and butterscotch. The wine’s lively acidity and supple viscosity will lend itself to many seafood and poultry dishes, as well as aged Gouda cheeses.
Bottled: June 2 - 3, 2009
Winemaker: Susan Reed
Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 14.2%
Case Production: 4,474
Appellation: Russian River Valley