2024 Estate Chardonnay

100% Estate Chardonnay

• Varieties:
  100% Chardonnay
• Appellation:
  Paso Robles - Templeton Gap District
• Average brix at harvest:
  23.3
• Vineyard:
  Estate
• Alcohol:
  13.3%
• Acidity:
  0.61 g/100ml
• pH:
  3.48
• Residual sugar:
  0.02 g/100ml
• Date bottled:
  February 18, 2025
• Cases produced:
  146

Growing conditions:
Not for the faint of heart! Vicious frost on April 5th and 6th recorded 25 degree mornings. No need for thinning as crops averaged about 50% of normal after a rather warm summer, harvest was earlier than average at Victor Hugo. The light crop allowed grapes to be harvested at optimum maturity producing beautiful wines.

Winemaking:
The grapes were hand harvested, then whole cluster pressed while still cool. Barrel fermented in 33% new and 67% seasoned French oak barrels. The wine was aged on its lees passively for 5 months. This process produced a richer mouthfeel and allowed the wine to be bottled with minimal filtration.

Tasting notes:
Aromas of apple and ripe pear are intertwined with elusive hints of nectarine in the background. Rich, silky mouth feel from fermentation plus 8 months of passive lees contact in Hungarian oak barrels culminates with a long, rich finish.

Cellaring:
Drink now!! This Chardonnay will continue to improve with proper cellaring for another 12-24 months, but why wait??

Food selection:
This Chardonnay will enhance soft ripe cheeses, pastas, halibut as well as richer ocean selections such as scallops, oysters, and lobster.