2022 Sea Smoke Chardonnay Sta Rita Hills California USA

Winemaker Notes
Our estate-grown Chardonnay fruit was picked and hand-sorted in the vineyard before spending the night in our cold room. Chilled grapes were softly pressed and the juice was gently pumped into a stainless steel tank and cold settled. Once the heavy solids were removed, the juice was racked to a stainless steel fermentor, then inoculated for primary fermentation. Following primary fermentation, the wine was racked to barrels, inoculated for malolactic fermentation, then periodically stirred to enhance depth and mouthfeel. The 2018 Sea Smoke Chardonnay was aged for a total of 10 months prior to bottling with no fining and no filtration.

The grapes for this wine come from loamy, well-drained soils on our estate vineyard. Dijon and Wente clones are fermented in stainless steel as well as in French oak foudres and demi-muids. This is an elegant chardonnay with a focused mid-palate and the refreshing cool climate acidity characteristic of Sea Smoke Vineyard.

Tasting Notes
An elegant Chardonnay with aromas of Starfruit, Mango and Ceanothus. Complemented by Orange zest and a slight nuttiness in the focused mid-palate and the refreshing cool climate acidity of our estate vineyard.