theCompass
 Home   Map   Blog Roll   WineCompass   Wine 101   My Compass 

Carneros Chardonnay

Carneros Chardonnay Wine Details
Price:

Description: The 2003 Chardonnay is our second bottling from the Carneros region. Made with our indigenous (wild) yeast recipe, this wine’s origin from the cool, southern Napa Valley make the fruit well suited for barrel and malo-lactic fermentations, lees stirring and extended aging in new oak. This year we bottled without any fining or filtration. We love the resulting complexity of fruit (apples, pears, citrus, tropical), gentle toast (caramel, vanilla), richness and a lovely finish thanks to a bright acidity.

Varietal Definition
Chardonnay:
Chardonnay is by far the most widely planted grape crop in California and dominates California’s cooler, coastal, quality wine regions. The natural varietal ‘taste and smell’ of Chardonnay is surprisingly unfamiliar to many wine drinkers, as its true character is often guised with dominating winemaking signatures. Chardonnay’s rather subdued primary fruit characteristics lean toward the crisp fruitiness of apples, pears and lemon, but the variety’s full body is capable of supporting a host of complementary characteristics, such as oak, butter and vanilla. Regardless of what is the appropriate style for Chardonnay, the varietal continues to dominate vineyard plantings in every corner of the world. Close attention to clonal selection has made this broad geographic and climactic range of Chardonnay viable in thoughtful viticultural hands.


Reviews




Back to Neal Family Vineyards information