Elegant and age-worthy, Mirabelle Vineyard offers a beautiful expression of Russian River Valley Chardonnay. Robust and extremely fruit-forward with alluring layers of tropical guava, orange blossom, and perfumed gardenia, it is a rich and floral wine that builds to a long and impressively balanced finish.
The harvested grapes were put directly as whole clusters into our tank press. A gentle press cycle was used to keep excess tannins and bitterness out of the juice. The juice was cold-settled for 48 hours and racked to barrel for fermentation and aging. The wine was aged in 31% new, and 15% one-year old French oak barrels. The wine was bottled on August 16th, 2023.
The 2022 vintage was impacted by a third consecutive year of drought that resulted in up to a 10-30% reduction in yields. The growing season was temperate, which in grape growing means we were on track or ahead of normal growth. Then we saw some heat spikes that prompted our first picks. 2022 was a year for vintage-to-vintage variation and differentiation between vineyards. The vineyard is cordon pruned and planted to Clone 95 Chardonnay. This clone produces small clusters and small berries, which contribute to this wine’s pure, concentrated flavors and aromas. To ensure that the fruit was delivered to the winery cool and in pristine condition, the grapes were harvested by hand on the night of September 6th, 2022.
Mirabelle is a beautiful vineyard located along Wohler Road in the heart of the Russian River Valley. It is planted on the valley floor where dense fog frequently settles, keeping the ripening progress slow and steady. The site’s fertile soils lead to healthy vines that produce classic Russian River Valley Chardonnay aromas and flavors.