1997 Camp Meeting Ridge "Moon Select" Chardonnay
Tasting Notes
We feel this is our best Chardonnay to date. The nose evolves upon opening; within a few minutes the wine aromas transform and build up in the glass. The developing aromas are complex and almost too seamless to pull apart at first. Soon, delicate mineral and lime notes gradually embrace the touch of wood, yeast and soil that can be seen in the aromas in the soft, sweet wood tones carefully framing the grilled almond, hazelnut, forest floor, and crème brulee/lemon custard. On the palate, the wine gives a viscous sensation, with the skin contact lot giving a good deal of palate weight to the richness of the fruit and sur lies unctiousness. Good now, this wine will age well and bring pleasure and enjoyment for several years to come. As the flavors marry and complex even further, we feel the best is yet to come�
Facts
- Clone: Primarily the low-yielding Hyde (Old Wente "hens 'n chicks") Chardonnay
- Yeast / ML: Primarily native yeast/malolactic fermentations + 1 lot of cultured Montrachet yeast added after extended skin contact
- Cooperage: 100% new oak: primarily Seguin-Moreau Chassagne Montrachet M+ barrels, some with toasted heads. About ¼ François Freres with wood from Allier forest, medium + toast level; other coopers include Latour, Damy, Marsannay, D&J and Cadus. Total time in barrel: 11 months.
- Harvest: Late September
- Yield: 2.7 tons/acre (ranch average)
Clone locations/component descriptions of this 100% home-ranch fruit
Hyde ("Old Wente" hens 'n chicks): generally NE-facing slopes on shallow soils, with one block on a very steep, rocky Northern slope. These wines give great intensity & backbone to the palate and a mineral/crushed stone & lime quality to the nose. The over-all presentation is tight and firm with good acidity. 100% destemmed and crushed rather than whole cluster pressed so that we could increase solids levels and therefore intensity, some of the juice was held in contact with the skins for 4 hours at 50° F.
Final bottling technical information
- pH: 3.60
- TA: 6.5 g/L
- 14.2% alcohol
- Residual sugar: 0.2% (dry)
Bottled unfined & unfiltered December 1st 1998; 380 cases produced