Sonoma
kaffir lime leaf, ruby red grapefruit, talc.
lemon honey, pears in syrup, mineral.
sushi, curry chicken salad, moules frites.
the fruit was hand harvested and sorted, then fermented in stainless steel tanks (no oak) using a wild yeast. malolactic fermentation occurred naturally and finished completely. the wine remained in tank on fine-lees for 5-months and bottled without fining or filtration.
a selection of sonoma county vineyards compose this wine. while each site is distinct, they share a common soil type called "creek bed soil" which is found along the russian river. our intention for this wine is to express the unique character of this soil and region. warm days and cool nights, tempered by consistent oceanic fog, yield full and rich chardonnays balanced by brisk acidity.
no wine area in california has a more complicated mix of established viticultural areas than sonoma county. at last count there were 13 avas, totaling 60,000 acres. most of them are crowding upon one another, many of them overlapping. while this vast expanse unified under the "sonoma county" designation possesses some similarities, a more localized approach is required to understand the individuality of each climate.
as elsewhere in california, climate is a function of accessibility to pacific coastal fog and resultant cloud cover. the more northern reaches of sonoma county-- where the valleys open wide--are sheltered from this coastal influence, and thus are significantly warmer. here you find heavier clay based soils well suited cabernet, merlot, and zinfandel.
in the cooler southern end of sonoma county--at the apex of the russian river valley, the alexander valley, and chalk hill avas--you will find a terroir favorable to chardonnay. here, the vines and their unique character are shaped by the river, which channels cool maritime air and fog from the pacific ocean to the eastern boarder of sonoma county.
another defining feature is the soil. there is "creek bed soil"---or alluvial soils of sandy loam strewn with smooth river-stones (as you find in dried-up river beds). we seek vines growing in this rocky, mineral rich soil and planted where the cooling effects of the river will be exploited. we believe these elements conspire to create distinctive sonoma county chardonnay-full, rich varietal chardonnay held taught by brisk acidity.
the 2007 chardonnay "sonoma county", like all of our wines, was grown from the ground up. no purchased wine/juice was used. it was hand picked and sorted and naturally fermented in 100% stainless steel using a wild yeast. it underwent a natural malolactic fermentation, and was bottled without fining or filtration.
| kevin kelley |
6890 |
 |
| now through 2012+ |
view |
