VINEYARD Cerise
CLONES Wente
ORIENTATION North East / South West
TRELLISING Quad Cordon
SOIL Wolfey-Bearwallow
FERMENTATION 100% native barrel fermentation / 2 months in stainless steel
OAK 35% new Austrian oak / 8% new French oak / aged 15 months
ALCOHOL 14.1%
pH 3.48
TA 7.1 g/L
AROMA
Honeycomb, lemon thyme and maple with hints of baking spice and faint oyster shell.
PALATE
Fresh acidity and intense minerality. Texturally rich with a crisp and bright finish.
Just 65 miles north of our winery in Sebastopol, CA is a parcel of land with raw, rustic character, and potential that we have only begun to tap into. It is here, in Anderson Valley, where our journey to find world-class Chardonnay brought us in 2016.
Originally planted with Pinot Noir in 1997, a selection of vines were grafted to Chardonnay in 2013. Tameless and wild, but nonetheless beautiful, vines sit on the eastern side of the valley, facing west, 16 miles from the coast. The terrain is unrelenting, producing incredibly low yields, just about 1 ton per acre. With slopes as steep as 30%, there is not a single block on flat ground.
The incredible location has had a history of producing top ranking wines and we feel humbled to have the opportunity to farm this site.
Fact of Note: Heavy soils increase water retention and maturation
SIXTY-FIVE MILES NORTH OF OUR winery in Sebastopol, CA, is the critically-acclaimed little-known AVA of Anderson Valley. Over the past quarter-century, this region has emerged as the source for some of California’s most distinctive wines.
The Estate property, the Cerise Vineyard, is our focal point for the valley. We’ve been long-time fans of the region and are thrilled to be winegrowers here ourselves. Perched on the hills above Boonville in Mendocino County, these 26 blocks planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay cascade over elevations running from 587 to 1620 feet. The warm, sunny days and cool, foggy nights and mornings of the area coupled with unforgiving terrain result in thought-provoking wines that combine a rustic spirit with stunning energy and opulence.
