2008 Sweeney Canyon Chardonnay

Winemaker's Notes: Coffee cups in hand, we walked down to the vineyard to have a look. The frost had dried out the leaves, sort of like “freeze-drying.” They just crumbled in your hand. Sheltered under the leaf canopy, the grapes were fine. They had been ripe for a few days, but since the acids were still good, we were giving them a little more “hang-time” to optimize the flavors. That morning it became apparent that they weren't going to get any better, as the frost had caused the vines to just shut down. Needless to say, we called up the crew and picked on Monday morning. By that evening, the Chardonnay was crushed, pressed and settling in a big, stainless steel tank.

The result is a big, round chardonnay with great mouth-feel and a finish that goes and goes and goes. We bottled 347 cases on August 20, 2010, so this wine spent almost 22 months in the barrel.