The 2016 vintage has layers of aromatics ranging from black cherry, plum, and raspberry to graham cracker, vanilla, butterscotch, and sweet hickory smoke. These flavors extend to the palate, which has a rich and silky entry with bright acidity and firm structure, resulting in great tension, balance, and persistence on the finish.

The 2016 vintage has great complexity and character. This wine has savory aromas of white and black pepper, dried meats, and grilled mushroom along with the sweet aromas of blueberry, plum, and huckleberry pie. The palate is rich and dense with firm tannin, bright acidity, and a lasting finish. Like the nose, the flavors here are sweet and savory with blueberry, plum, au jus, white pepper, and grilled meats. The whole-cluster fermentation adds even more complexity with some green peppercorn and spice on the nose and a little bite in the finish. The oak imparts smokiness to the nose and bittersweet chocolate to the finish.

Our Chardonnay grapes are sourced from two vineyards in the Napa Valley one in Los Carneros and the other in St. Helena. The cooler Carneros site imparts this wine with lemon zest, green apple, and Bosc pear on the nose, while the warmer St. Helena site lends apricot, melon, and tropical notes. The Carneros vineyard also gives this wine a beautiful, bright, lively acidity, which is balanced by the creamy, rich texture of the St. Helena fruit. The touch of oak adds subtle layers to the nose and palate with traces of toasted almonds, vanilla, caramel, and spice. By foregoing malolactic fermentation, we are retaining the bright, lively malic acid, which helps to accentuate the fruit on the palate, and gives this wine its balance, drive, and length.