2008 Reserve Chardonnay - Carneros [ $32
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The grapes for our 2008 Reserve Chardonnay come primarily from Ferrari-Carano’s vineyard in the Napa Valley Carneros appellation. Comprised of three Chardonnay clones, this wine has lush hazelnut, spice, butterscotch and Fuji apple aromas with delicious caramel, pear, fig, crème brule, and toasty oak flavors with a creamy, buttery finish. The cool climate of Napa Valley Carneros imparts its unique delicacy and finesse to the wine, while the Alexander Valley component adds an intensely rich mouth-filling character.
Vintage Notes
A year of fire and ice, we began 2008 battling heavy frost in April, and heat in the summer and early fall. Reduced yields but intensely flavored, well-balanced, ripe fruit was the happy result of a very challenging growing season. The grapes for this wine were harvested mid-September — 2008 was one of the fastest harvests we can remember.
Winemakers Notes
Each individual lot for this wine is whole cluster pressed and then cold settled for two days in stainless steel tanks before moving to barrels for fermentation. The wine completes 95 percent malolactic fermentation and is sur lie aged in French oak barrels and stirred every two weeks for nine months until blending in June. Then the blended wine is aged an additional six months in neutral French oak until bottling.
| Appellation: |
92% Napa Valley Carneros, 8% Alexander Valley
|
| Blend: |
100% Chardonnay |
| Cooperage: |
49% new French oak, 51% older French oak
|
| Release Day: |
August 2010 |
Rhonda's Recipe and Pairing Notes
Smoked Chicken Ravioli
In addition to a wide variety of appetizers, seafood such as shellfish and poultry dishes, the 2008 Reserve Chardonnay
pairs perfectly with richer foods that enhances this fuller bodied and deliciously creamy wine.
