2016 Chardonnay
Library Release
In Stock
Each year, our Winemakers select special library wines to release for the holidays. These wines have been perfectly aged in our temperature-regulated cellar, so that we can re-release them to you in their prime drinking windows. These bottles are proof that patience is often rewarded, and each bottle would be a worthy choice to share with family and friends this season.
Jespersen Ranch lies three miles from the Pacific Ocean and derives much of its personality from the coast. The growing season for Chardonnay in Edna Valley is long and cool with early morning fog and mid-afternoon ocean breezes that create perfect growing conditions for Chardonnay. A few years ago we grafted a portion of the vineyard to new clones of Chardonnay in order to increase complexity from the site. In 2016 almost 50% of our total tons of Chardonnay came from these new clones, leading to more diverse fruit from this site than ever before.
We hand-pick our Chardonnay grapes and whole-cluster-press them into a stainless steel tank before being racked to barrels. The wine went through primary fermentation in 1/3 New French Oak barrels and was aged on the lees with frequent stirring to create a creamy mouthfeel. The wine went through secondary fermentation naturally while in barrel, and retained a bright saline characteristic and zesty acidity.