2009Chardonnay
Tasting Notes
Vibrant medium yellow/straw in color. The nose on this wine exhibits classic Chardonnay aromas including tropical fruit, melon, citrus and hints of hazelnut and butterscotch. Broad and mouth filling, the wine has an extremely appealing texture exhibiting weight and concentration while effortlessly gliding across the palate. Full and fleshy it finishes elegantly with lingering fruit and subtle classy French oak. Superb balance and harmoniously integrated flavors are the hallmark of this stunning wine.
Vineyards
All the fruit was harvested exclusively from our Estate vineyard on Trinity Ranch that straddles the Sonoma/Napa county line high in the Mayacamas Mountains. The elevation of this site keeps the vines cool and promotes a longer ripening period to allow full flavor development and retains acidity. Yielding only three ton per acre the fruit is consistently ripe and concentrated. This particular vintage benefited from the longer and cooler growing season, extending the time the fruit spent on the vines thereby producing beautifully ripe flavors and balance.
Winemaking Techniques
Classic Burgundian techniques are employed at Petroni Vineyards when making Chardonnay. We aim to achieve the perfect balance between fruit, oak and acidity that keeps the fresh vibrancy intact with rich fruit and complexity of flavor. We achieve this by whole bunch pressing, full barrel fermentation with native and selected yeasts, the judicious use of tight French oak and lees stirring. Malo Lactic fermentation is not employed here in order to retain sufficient acidity to keep the wine vibrant.
