Spring Release Wester Reach Chardonnay
2017
Winemaker’s Notes
The 2017 Wester Reach Chardonnay combines three singular traits: coastal freshness and vibrancy; Russian River Valley natural richness, density and texture; and subtle elements of Burgundian savory/saline reduction. In essence, a blend of three of our single vineyard Chardonnays, it is a wine that drinks at an equivalent quality level to our lower production wines.
From the lowest-yielding vintage in twenty years, there’s inherent concentration here, a depth of flavor coming from the vines themselves rather than winemaking artifice. But there’s also a firmness and seriousness that offsets this mid-palate weight and extends its citrus-oil-infused finish.
The wine has great lines: focused, driven, mineral-laden and pithy, with a level of cool-climate fruit intensity that is very rare. This level of quality and distinctive character is hard to achieve in a larger-production blended wine, but is a testament to our pedigreed vineyards, precise farming, twenty years’ experience, and patient, sensitive craftsmanship.
Drink between 2019 and 2027.
Vineyard
32% Dutton Ranch Hansen Hill Vineyard
24% DuMOL O’Connell Estate Vineyard
20% Dutton Ranch Jentoft Vineyard
Harvest Date
Harvested by hand between September 1st and 20th.
Appellation
Russian River Valley
Clones
Old Wente Selection, Hyde Wente Selection & Clone 4
Age of Vines at Harvest
43 years
Barrel Aging
Barrel fermented and aged 12 months in 30% light/medium toast new French oak followed by three months settling in tank. Complete malolactic fermentation. Sealed with Diam-10 corks for purity and freshness.
Production
3,541 cases of 750mL
