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Fall 2007 Release
- 2005 McCrea Vineyard Chardonnay Sonoma Mountain
- 2005 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay Russian River Valley
- 2005 Durell Vineyard Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
- 2005 Kistler Vineyard Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
We are proud to announce our Fall 2007 release which includes the three 2005 chardonnays listed above and our 2005 Kistler Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley.
The outstanding 2005 chardonnay vintage can, in large measure, be attributed to a cool growing season in which sugar levels climbed slowly and grapes reached optimum maturity before alcohol levels became extreme. The heat spikes which punctuated the two previous vintages were absent in 2005, and we began harvesting chardonnay on September 20, one week later than normal, and proceeded at a comfortable pace until the final vineyard was picked in the third week of October.
Fermentations were uneventful, which is a good thing; yeasts fermented most juices to dryness in 3 to 4 weeks, and malolactics were done by Christmas. It is still not well understood why the juices from certain vintages support stronger yeast and malolactic bacteria growth than others, but often the most nutritionally “complete” juices come from years like 2005 with adequate spring rain and an absence of prolonged severe heat after veraison. This mystery, which still lies at the heart of this simple, elegant, centuries old process, i.e. the transformation of juice into wine, is part of the appeal and wonder of winemaking which draws us back each year to witness again.
The 2005 chardonnays are compelling wines with great energy and precision. Their low pH’s and firm acid backbones promise a graceful evolution in bottle.
Here are my brief tasting notes on our chardonnays:
2005 McCrea Vineyard Chardonnay $70 per bottle
Pale, green-tinged yellow. Penetrating aroma of lime and tangerine zest, minerals, and slate. Its crushed stone flavors are framed and intensified by perfectly integrated acidity. Finishes with ripe citrus character and great minerally persistence. Delicious now and age worthy.
2005 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay $70 per bottle
Pale, green-tinged yellow. Complex nose features ripe stone fruits, roasted grains, minerals, and truffles. Outstanding length and concentration to this vibrant, tightly wound wine. Finishes precise and mineral-driven with pronounced soil-inflected character. Delicious now and age worthy.
2005 Durell Vineyard Chardonnay $70 per bottle
Pale, green-tinged yellow. Deep, pungent, soil influenced aromas combining ripe stone fruits, iodine, and chalk. Powerful, vibrant and broad on the palate, while maintaining a remarkable lightness of touch. Delicious now and age worthy.
Our three 2005 pinot noirs are our best to date. Due to the poor weather at flowering which dramatically reduced crop levels, the 2005 pinot noirs are particularly concentrated and high in extract. Combined with their low pH’s and firm balancing acidity, they are vibrant, captivating wines which will prove irresistible in their youth and will reward further aging.
My tasting notes on the 2005 Kistler Vineyard Pinot Noir:
2005 Kistler Vineyard Pinot Noir $75 per bottle
Intensely perfumed nose combines crushed blackberry, black raspberry, violet, and graphite. A very vibrant, primary wine with great purity of fruit and complicating soil tones. Luscious and utterly compelling.
Upcoming: A reminder that next spring there will be smaller than normal allocations of the 2005 Cuvée Elizabeth, followed, happily though, by unprecedented quantities of the 2006 cuvées, with perhaps even the introduction of a new 2006 cuvée in the spring of 2009. For the present, the 2007 growing season holds much promise. After a drier than normal spring, weather at bloom has remained perfect in Bodega and Occidental and all our pinot noir vineyards are carrying the 2 tons per acre we desire, which means the prospects are good for a second year in a row of bountiful pinot cuvées.
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