2015 Hollywood & Vine Chardonnay

In 2015, the fourth season of California drought was evidenced by weary vineyards that gave us one of the smallest harvests in recent memory.  Great weather throughout the growing season meant lovely flavors in the few clusters borne by each vine, and the vintage, though miniscule, yielded some very memorable wines.  Crafted entirely from the Harold Weimer clone of Chardonnay, this intensely aromatic non-malolactic wine was harvested by hand in the early morning hours of September 16, 2015, gently whole-cluster pressed, then barrel fermented and left to age in French oak on the natural yeast lees.  The lees were stirred bi-weekly to add texture and body to the mid-palate.  The wine was kept barrels until just prior to bottling in mid-June, 2016.