Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay |
2006 Chardonnay Reserve Carneros Napa Valley
We night-harvested 100% of our Carneros Chardonnay grapes and whole-cluster-pressed the fruit to obtain the freshest, purest juice possible. After cold-settling the must in tank for 36 hours, 75% of the juice was inoculated with cultured yeast strains that enhance the rich fruit character of Chardonnay, while 25% fermented with native yeast strains fostering greater complexity and a pleasing minerality. All the juice fermented in French oak barrels, 35% new, with 14% undergoing a secondary, malolactic fermentation to engender a silky, creamy texture. Aging the wine in barrel on its primary yeast lees for 15 months, with plentiful stirring and no racking, further magnified its textural and flavor richness. After racking off the lees, the wine was bottled in January, 2008 |