2015 Belden Barns Chardonnay

Sonoma Mountain has proven itself to be a very good partner in crime to Chardonnay.  Some of California’s most respected Chardonnays come from this small, elevated appellation.  At the onset of redeveloping our vineyard, we knew we wanted to have access to great Chardonnay fruit.  That said, no Chardonnay, or any white wine grapes, had ever been planted here.  When we asked our vineyard manager if an east-facing hillside block that receives less sun than any of our other plantings would be a good spot for this grape, he told us it was a no brainer.  “Your only problem is that you’ll never have enough fruit to meet demand after folks taste the wine.” Barrel fermented and aged sur lie, with only 33% new French oak, this wine is a shining example of balance.  A combination of tropical fruit, lemon curd, pleasing texture, crisp approach and broad finish – we absolutely love this wine.