Gallo Signature Chardonnay Russian River Vly

Description

The Gallo Signature Series honors an extraordinary journey begun by the Gallo family in 1933. Today, with some of Californias best grapes at her fingertips, third-generation winemaker Gina Gallo has created a collection of wines that could only be crafted from the Gallo familys unique combination of vineyards. These wines mark a return to hands-on winemaking for Gina, and they bring to life the enduring legacy of Ernest and Julio Gallo.About Russian River Valley Spanning 150 square miles in the heart of Sonoma County, the Russian River Valley has 15,000 acres planted to wine grapes. Cool fog from the Pacific Ocean drifts into the valley through the Petaluma Wind Gap, tempering the warm, sunny days here and giving the grapes a lengthy growing season.About Laguna Ranch Vineyard Most of the grapes for our Russian River Valley Chardonnay come from our familys historic Laguna Ranch Vineyard. Nestled in the Russian River Valley AVA and named for the Laguna de Santa Rosa, the largest tributary of the Russian River, Laguna Ranch rests just 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean and its cooling, maritime influence. The soil is a combination of gravelly and sandy loam formed from soft sandstone on ancient coastal terraces, known as the Sebastopol Series. Once an apple orchard, this vineyard has exceptional terroir that yields cool-climate Chardonnay with robust flavors and a crisp acidity.Viticulture Notes The 2013 harvest was as beautiful as the 2012 vintage. The conditions throughout the growing season were favorable, with warmer temperatures than 2012. Following a great flowering and fruit set, the increased temperatures pushed our vines to a harvest about a week earlier than usual. The wines from the 2013 vintage offer ripe fruit flavors with firm structure and long aging potential.Winemaking notes For our Russian River Valley Chardonnay, we blended a variety of clones, including Clones 96, 15, 17 and 37. The grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed, with press cuts taken by taste to maximize the flavor of each particular block or clone. The grapes were then cold settled, racked off heavy lees and fermented in barrel. This Chardonnay underwent malolactic fermentation and sur lie aging to give it a rich, creamy mouthfeel. The wine was aged for 12 months in predominantly new French and American oak, with the balance aged in one- to two-year old barrels.WineOur Gallo Signature Series Chardonnay opens with aromas of sweet vanilla and freshly baked bread. A true expression of the Russian River Valley, this wine has delightfully bright flavors of crisp apple, lemon meringue and ginger on the palate. – Gallo Family Vineyards / Gallo of Sonoma