We harvest at night by hand to protect our vineyard workers from summer’s heat and to ensure our Chardonnay grapes are picked at cool temperatures, which preserves their fruit purity and bright natural acidity. We then whole-cluster-press the fruit – which similarly preserves freshness and purity – and transfer the juice to a combination of French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks for fermentation. In 2009, 86% of the juice fermented in barrel, while 14% became wine in tank, with 7% undergoing a secondary, malolactic fermentation. The component wines age in barrel on their yeast lees, with periodic stirring, the frequency of which is determined by sensory analysis of each lot. This enhances texture and richness while preserving varietal expressiveness. Finally, the lots are blended and the finished wine is bottled during the spring following the harvest.
Our 2009 Napa Valley Chardonnay boasts lovely, perfumed aromas of fresh melon, yellow apple, lime and white peach, with complementary mineral and toasty-spicy oak scents. On the full-bodied, yet sleek palate, the wine offers concentrated, beautifully focused, peach, apple and citrus zest flavors, with mineral and spice tones enlivening the long, refreshing finish. Delightful now, this purely delicious Napa Valley Chardonnay will blossom further with another six months in bottle and, with proper cellaring, will drink beautifully for another 3 to 5 years.
Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay 2009
Region: Napa Valley, California
Winery: Cakebread Cellars
Variety: Chardonnay
Rating: 3
We harvest at night by hand to protect our vineyard workers from summer’s heat and to ensure our Chardonnay grapes are picked at cool temperatures, which preserves their fruit purity and bright natural acidity. We then whole-cluster-press the fruit – which similarly preserves freshness and purity – and transfer the juice to a combination of French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks for fermentation. In 2009, 86% of the juice fermented in barrel, while 14% became wine in tank, with 7% undergoing a secondary, malolactic fermentation. The component wines age in barrel on their yeast lees, with periodic stirring, the frequency of which is determined by sensory analysis of each lot. This enhances texture and richness while preserving varietal expressiveness. Finally, the lots are blended and the finished wine is bottled during the spring following the harvest.
Our 2009 Napa Valley Chardonnay boasts lovely, perfumed aromas of fresh melon, yellow apple, lime and white peach, with complementary mineral and toasty-spicy oak scents. On the full-bodied, yet sleek palate, the wine offers concentrated, beautifully focused, peach, apple and citrus zest flavors, with mineral and spice tones enlivening the long, refreshing finish. Delightful now, this purely delicious Napa Valley Chardonnay will blossom further with another six months in bottle and, with proper cellaring, will drink beautifully for another 3 to 5 years.
Posted by dustinjacobsen on February 9th, 2011 at 9:00pm | report comment