Spring Release Russian River Valley Chardonnay
2010

Winemaker’s Notes

2010 rivals 2008 as my favorite white wine vintage in recent memory. Across the board the wines are lively, fresh, concentrated and focused. The balance between vibrant piercing fruit, broad enveloping texture and pin-point precise acidity is the hallmark of the vintage. They are wines to drink young for freshness but have the balance to become more complex over six to eight years in the bottle. Our 2010 RRV bottling is a DuMOL classic – the equal of many a previous designate. A strong sense of breezy coastal freshness is its dominant feature. The wine is so alive and intense that it’s a perfect representation of this unusually cool vintage season. Its greatest excitement lies in the deft balance between the various fruit and structural elements – they play off one another beautifully. The fruit itself is brisk and crunchy – slightly more green-shaded than the honeyed style of 2009 and the wine’s underlying richness takes some swirling to coax forth. It’s never too creamy, broad or rich and its natural density is never overbearing or clumsy. It’s simply a beautiful classy wine that is both focused and elegant in its delivery.

Light green/yellow color. Wonderful aromatic range: cantaloupe, grapefruit, green apple, cut grass. Richer almond and oatmeal aromas build with air. Intriguing fennel and spearmint edge. Bone dry tightly-coiled palate. White peach, crunchy apple, sweet lime, with a clean saline edge. Broadening texture as it opens in the glass. Taut acidity brings structure and length. Serve at no cooler than 55 degrees to allow the wine’s breadth to flow.

Andy Smith