2016 Charles Heintz Vineyard Magnum

94 Points: Wine & Spirits

91 Points: Virginie Boone Wine Enthusiast - November 2018

"Olive, fig and candied lemon peel provide an exotic complexity to this vineyard-designate, from the famous sandy Goldridge soil-site in Occidental. Salty oak and sea spray add a minerality that's welcome against a full-bodied palate flecked in tart, light acidity."

91 Points: Wine Spectator

The vineyard’s 40-year-old vines were planted using wide spacing during an era when larger tractors dictated that plenty of room be provided to perform the farming work. The large, sprawling Clone 4 Chardonnay vines are trained using quadrilateral trellising on AXR rootstock. Sandy Goldridge soils provide the vines fertile ground for strong growth. 2016 had early an bud break, but cool temperatures in August slowed down the harvest leading to beautifully developed flavors and long hangtime. Harvested by hand, this fruit arrived at the winery healthy and ripe on September 30th, 2016.

Charles Heintz has been growing premium Chardonnay grapes for decades. His namesake vineyard is located in the westernmost part of the Russian River Valley and is therefore our coolest climate site. Charlie himself has said, “It’s like growing Chardonnay in a rain cloud out here.”

• composition:

  100% Chardonnay

• alcohol: 14.50%
• bottling date: 08/16/2017
• aging:

  Aged 10 months sur lee in French oak, 20% new, and 40% one-year-old

• fermentation:

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