 The first white wine made by Mark Herold, our Hestan Chardonnay boasts an impeccable balance of flavor and structure. Bold, rich and creamy, with concentrated fig, melon, spice and hazelnut flavors, the wine offers depth and a long, elegant finish. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Wine Enthusiast, by Steve Heimoff, 91 points:
The winery doesn’t tell us where in this gigantic, multicounty region the grapes came from, but it’s quite a good wine. Firm in citrusy acids, with a mineral undertow, it’s a dry, elegant wine with complex notes of pineapples, buttered toast and creamy lees. Lots of oak, but it’s integrated with the fruit. |
| Alcohol: | 14.7% |
| Appellation: | San Francisco Bay |
| Bottling Date: | July 24, 2008 |
| Fermentation: | French Oak barrels, 100% malolactic fermentation |
| Harvest Date: | 9/19/2007 |
| Harvest Notes: | Due to warmer than normal winter and spring temperatures, there was earlier budding, bloom and set in the vineyard. The summer growing season continued on the mild to cool side, with a brief period of heat that spiked around Labor Day, adding the boost of sugar development that we were looking for to complement the excellent acid structure developed in our Chardonnay grapes. Clusters, as well as individual berries on the clusters, though set at a normal quantity, were notably smaller due to the dry season, resulting in ripe, complex, balanced and ageworthy wines.
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| Months in Barrel: | 9 Months |
| Oak: | 100% New French Oak |
| Tasting Notes: | The first white wine made by Cabernet specialist Mark Herold, our Hestan Chardonnay boasts the impeccable balance of flavor and structure one hopes to achieve from a coastal site. Bold, rich and creamy, with concentrated fig, melon, spice and hazelnut flavors that fold together nicely, the wine offers excellent depth and a long, elegant finish. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
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| Time In Oak: | 9 Months |
| Varietal: | 100% Chardonnay |
| Vintage Notes: | Clusters, as well as individual berries on the clusters, were notably smaller due to the dry 2007 season, resulting in ripe, complex, balanced and ageworthy wines.
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| Winemakers Notes: | The first white wine made by Cabernet specialist Mark Herold, this Chardonnay began primary fermentation in stainless steel tanks and was transferred to new French oak barrels to complete primary and malolactic fermentation. Mark tries to achieve a brighter, less buttery flavor profile in this Chardonnay, which was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
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| Year: | 2007 |
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