Handley Chardonnay

Description

IN THE VINEYARD The fruit for this wine comes from our CCOF Certified Organically farmed Estate Vineyard. We emptied and repaired our pond in the fall of 2013. The rains we hoped for to fill the pond never came and we went into frost protection season with little water. We had a warm dry spring and an early bud break ensued. Luckily, we had no hard frost events and were able to make it through to bloom without any problems. Warm to moderate weather continued throughout the growing season until harvest. The 2013 harvest was bountiful and we were all expecting smaller yields in 2014 after two large harvests. Because bud break and bloom came early we also expected an earlier harvest which allowed us to leave a little more fruit hanging than normal. Our newer vineyard planted in 2010 set a large crop and still came in early as expected. The new blocks of clone 76, a Burgundy selection, and Clone 4 ripened easily and provide great tropical flavors and body to the blend. Our older vines which are often not ready until the end of October finished in September and yields were higher than expected. Our old blocks of clone 4 and Ordway field selection provide traditional apple and stone fruit flavors and add acidity and structure to the blend.IN THE CELLAR All of our Chardonnay is pressed whole cluster to stainless steel tanks and allowed to settle for three days. The clear juice is then racked and inoculated with a mix of yeasts including symphony, cross evolution, VL2, and CH9. About a third of the way through fermentation it is racked to a mix of French oak barrels 25% new to complete fermentation. After fermentation was complete, about 33 percent of the barrels were inoculated with a malolactic culture to soften the acidity of the wine. The barrels are stirred on the lees every two weeks to build structure and mouthfeel. The warmth in the cellar due early harvest encouraged some spontaneous malolactic fermentation concurrent with the primary fermentation. Consequently, this wine completed about 66% malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged for 6 months in barrel and sterile filtered before bottling. No eggs, dairy, or animal derived products were used in the production of this wine.IN THE BOTTLE This vintage is softer and riper than many previous vintages of Handley Estate Chardonnay, yet remains true to house style with low alcohol and good structure. This wine exhibits flavors of Granny Smith apples, guava, lime, and pineapple with a hint of coconut and spice from the barrels. It is easy drinking mid-weight on the palette with a long smooth finish.AT THE TABLE This easy drinking wine pairs well with appetizers and finger food such as coconut battered shrimp buffalo chicken wings, crispy egg rolls with a sweet and sour tamarind dipping sauce. It is an able companion to wide range of fast and easy cuisines. – Handley