The Goal: Burgundian Style Chardonnay
This wine marks the second vintage of Chardonnay from Petroni Vineyards. It is produced from grapes grown in the cooler reaches of Carneros and in the Coombsville area of Napa; our site in mid-Sonoma Valley being too warm for premium Chardonnay production. Stylistically, we strive for more restrained Burgundian character,
sensing that Chardonnay is best when the strength of its fruit is balanced with moderate oak, malolactic fermentation and a deeper acidity tones. We are vying to produce classic Burgundian flavors within a new-world context.
The Vineyards:
Green Island& Rancho Sarco, Napa
Green Island is a large vineyard in the eastern reaches of Carneros,
where the cool ocean fog and wind whips off San Pablo Bay most afternoons.
Top-notch wines scoring in the high 90’s in critical journals have been made from
this fruit. Rancho Sarco, located in Coombsville in eastern Napa, is an
experimental plot that gives us body and texture to marry with the acidity and strength of the Carneros fruit.
Vintage: Cool and Wet
2005 was a good vintage, characterized by early wet conditions. This was
a consistent vintage in general in Sonoma valley, with lower crop levels
and strong concentrations of flavors.
There was slight rain shatter at flowering which created a natural crop leveler so that everything was fine-tuned by nature. Harvest itself was ideal, with slow steady ripening that allowed for optimal picking at perfect technical and flavor numbers.
In the Cellar: Balance with Barrels
At Petroni Vineyards, the key to developing Burgundian textures relies
upon time-tested techniques of whole cluster pressing, native yeasts, barrel fermentation, occasional lees stirring,
and barrels made from only the tightest grained woods from France with only about 1/3rd new wood. At each step,
we look to develop balance between the fruit, oak and acidity so that all three components are integrated in
the finished wine. The wine was neither fined nor filtered, with no additions of acid or sweeteners, just
naturally made.
The Wine: Delicious
A reflection of our goal to maintain varietal
character and fruit concentration throughout, the wine exhibits both
tropical and stone fruit aromas in the bouquet and follows through with a
mouthful of ripe pear and apple flavors consistent with cooler growing
conditions.
2005 Chardonnay
Variety: 100% Chardonnay
Appellation: Napa Valley
Harvest: October 2005, 24-25 Brix
