2022 Unoaked Chardonnay
Tasting Notes
Our 2022 Unoaked Chardonnay showcases a bouquet of fresh pear, apple, and floral notes. The palate is youthful with vibrant acidity and flavors of Meyer lemon, honeysuckle, and cantaloupe. Its rounded texture adds a smooth dimension, while the finish is crisp, clean, and balanced, leaving a refreshing impression on the palate.
Vineyard Designation
100% Estate Grown
Vintage Notes
The 2022 vintage in the Yakima Valley was a bit of a roller coaster. A mild winter extended into spring with early frost periods and winter-like conditions in April. The cool spring delayed bud break by a few weeks and caused delayed growth in the vineyard as we moved into summer. Each vineyard block was meticulously managed to ensure a ripe crop by harvest. We lowered clusters per vine and allowed for more sunlight exposure. By mid-July, temperatures finally started warming up and led to record growth in a short amount of time. Fortunately, warm summer temperatures extended into fall, helping to lengthen the growing season and allowing the grapes to continue to ripen. Harvest ended up being delayed approximately three weeks from a typical year. We gratefully did not experience any fall frost events, so the grapes had extended hang time on the vines to achieve optimal ripeness and excellent flavor development. Overall, the 2022 vintage displays ripe flavors, bountiful fruit aromas, and balanced acidity. The wines can be en- joyed in their youth, or they can cellar for many years to come.
Winemaking Notes
Our 2022 Chardonnay is 100% estate grown and was harvested at optimal maturity in mid-September. Once harvested, the grapes were sent directly to the press for a gentle pressing. The juice was cold-settled for 72 hours; after cold-settling the juice was sent to stainless steel tanks and inoculated with a special yeast strain meant for stainless steel Chardonnay’s. Fermented cool, with max temperatures in the 60-degree range allows the wines fruit to be the star of the show. After fermentation, the tanks had their lees stirred twice a month for 2 months to help build texture and naturally soften the wine, this wine did not undergo any form of malolactic fermentation. Our goal is to create a Chardonnay that is bright with balanced acidity and undergoing any form of malolactic fermentation would deter the wine from that goal. To create an additional layer of complexity while enhancing the mouthfeel and aromas, the wine finished its aging in concrete tanks for an additional month before being stabilized and prepared for bottling.
Food Pairing
Chicken Alfredo
Mushroom Risotto
Chicken Marsala
Caramelized Onion, Apple and Brie
- Varietal Composition: Chardonnay
- Appellation: Yakima Valley
- Aging / Barrel Program: 100% Stainless steel fermented and aged
- Cases Produced: 200
- Alcohol: 13.3%
- pH: 3.50
- Acidity: 5.9 g/L