2015 Wildcat Mountain

93 Points: Robert Parker Wine Advocate

"The 2015 Wildcat Mountain Vineyard Chardonnay has a very spicy nose of ginger, nutmeg and allspice over a core of ripe pineapple and honeydew melon plus a touch of brioche. Medium to full-bodied, it packs in the spicy, tropical fruit flavors with a creamy texture and fantastic length."

92 Points: Wine Enthusiast

"Earthy and slightly sulfurous in big oak, this full-bodied wine manages to grasp handfuls of bright acidity that persists through a wall of powerfully ripe tropical flavor. Aromas and aspects of citrus and white flowers contribute additional freshness."

The 2015 vintage started with an early bud break that accelerated the pace of the vintage. We had heat accumulation that added up quickly, which led to an earlier harvest compared to most vintages. Grapes were picked from four distinct blocks planted to four different clones: 95, 76, 4, and 15. Each block had a unique harvest picking date between September 8thand 19th.

The grapes for this Chardonnay came exclusively from Wildcat MountainVineyard, owned by Steve MacRostie and his partners Nancy and Tony Lilly. At Wildcat,the vines dig into the sparse volcanic soil and stand firm against the strong winds that race off of the Pacific Ocean most afternoons. This fog-shrouded mountaintop vineyard is a classic Sonoma Coast site. Cool and challenging, it yields wines of great distinction.

• composition:

  100% Chardonnay

• alcohol: 14.80%
• cases made:

  945 Cases

• bottling date: 08/05/2016
• aging:

  Aged 10 months sur lie in French oak, 20% new

• fermentation:

  Whole cluster pressed then racked into French oak for primary and malolactic fermentation