92points
2019 Estate Chardonnay
Tasting Notes
Nectarine, meyer lemon, quince, crisp & food friendly
Wine Score
92
Mouth-filling fruit and spice flavors are well matched by vibrant acidity in this ripe but racy wine. Lemons, green apples and hints of butter and toast create complexity while retaining a refreshing, appetizing quality
Jim Gordon , Wine Enthusiast
Description
Carneros Chardonnay from multiple sections our estate vineyard, delivering a silky hint of butter and barrel spice. Bouchaine’s 100-acre estate vineyard lies on the southern border of Napa Valley’s Carneros district, overlooking the San Francisco bay with the financial district in the distance. Fog, wind, and the cold night time temperatures of this unique geographical area lend a distinctive regional identity to our Chardonnay.
Growing Season
The 2019 growing season will be remembered as a “Goldilocks” vintage. Not too cold, not too hot . . . but just right. Late rains in May had growers biting their nails as these storms can cause damage to vines that are flowering, leading to reduced crop. However, sunshine won that battle and the rains disappeared giving way to a long, consistent growing season throughout the summer. No major heat events appeared during harvest time allowing for beautiful ripening at an even pace. Juuuust right.
Vinification
Our Estate Chardonnay is a blend of 35-year old vines and Dijon plantings from 1996. The age of the vines provides intensity and depth not found in young vineyards. Chardonnay is the ultimate medium for the winemaker’s skills and imagination. Bouchaine’s winemaking vision calls for the roduction of more than a dozen different Chardonnay wines from our estate blocks, which are in turn melded into the final Estate Chardonnay.
Tech Sheet
