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Behler Vineyard
Tasting Notes
Right from the start, you can sense the complexity imparted on this wine by its extended time in barrel. Alluring aromas of tropical notes with dried pineapple and lemon curd are layered with rich lemon custard. The creamy mouthfeel is ripe, with delicate hints of honey and candied citrus. The palate is rich, featuring flavors of candied apricot and orange zest layered with baked pastry. The weighted body is alluring without overpowering the palate or showing too much malolactic fermentation. The result is a creamier structure without a heavy viscosity. The wine finishes with a mellow, quenching acidity.
Vintage Notes
The 2021 growing season saw near-perfect growing conditions. With minimal winter rain, the vines were awakened with ideal moderate springtime temperatures, eliminating any frost threat to the developing buds. At most sites, fruit set was during the optimal timeframe due to warm, consistent conditions. Veraison occurred 7-10 days earlier than in previous years due to the temperate weather and minimal rain. Moderate daytime temperatures and cool nights throughout the summer months, with a few of the regular short-lived heat spikes, allowing for excellent flavor development. The year saw an early harvest, with 90% of the region’s grapes being picked before the late Fall.
Vineyard Notes
Our founder Joe Martin planted our first Chardonnay vines at Behler Vineyard in the early 1970s. The Sonoma Mountains frame this picturesque valley vineyard to the west and the Mayacamas Mountains to the east. Warm summer days are cooled by evening breezes and fog from the Pacific Ocean, resulting in complex flavors and elegant aromas. On this ranch we grow two distinct clones of Chardonnay. The Sterling clone is a Wente-variant producing wines with a fruity “musque” style, and the Mt. Eden clone of Chardonnay has smaller berries on tighter clusters but yields wines with beautiful concentrated flavors and balanced acidity.
Winemaker Notes
Winemaker Katie Madigan crafts this wine in a richer, more opulent style than our other premium Chardonnays. Each block of Chardonnay clone from the Behler ranch is picked separately, with picking often occurring before daybreak and grapes delivered to the winery while still cold to preserve their delicate flavors, aromas and acidity. Grapes are pressed whole cluster, then fermented sur lie in a temperature-controlled room maintained at 55 degrees to ensure a slow fermentation. For this Extended Age wine, select barrels were set aside, chosen for their taste profile and acidity level, and given extra time for battonage (stirring) and ageing to impart a rounder, more complex mouthfeel.
