Spring Release Russian River Valley Chardonnay
2011

Winemaker’s Notes

2011 is an undeniably great year for coastal Chardonnay, one of our finest ever and one that brings to mind both 2010 and 2005, vintages that are aging effortlessly. Our new release 2011 RRV bottling performs at the historical designate level; such is its perfect balance between deeply pitched natural fruit extract and a backbone of precise live wire acidity. The wine is clean, pure and focused with real breadth across the entire palate but it’s the vein of tightly coiled mouth watering acidity that really keeps it pulsating throughout. It expertly blends leaner stone and riper tropical fruit aromas and flavors and clearly displays the taut freshness of its coastal vineyard origins alongside the broad palate density of this low yielding vintage. Slightly more introverted than its 2010 predecessor, it requires some patience and time in the glass to bring forth the wine’s full texture and multiple layers. If you open it on release give it plenty of air and watch how it unfolds over the evening – the flavors and texture really deepen and expand substantially. Drink between 2013 and 2018.

Brilliant pale straw color. Trademark aromatic intensity: lemon curd and lemon grass, sweet lime and honeydew melon, offset by floral lily perfume, fresh fennel and bay leaf complexity. Opens to baked apple, quince and richer citrus. Immediately fruit driven precise palate: grapefruit, white nectarine and Gravenstein apple. Lively, tense and piercing with sea spray and mint notes. Toasted almond richness and texture build with air. Tangy lime zest dominates the echoing vibrant finish. Serve at no cooler than 55 degrees to allow the wine’s full texture to sing.

Andy Smith