North America | California | Thomas Fogarty | Santa Cruz Chardonnay

Santa Cruz Chardonnay

VARIETAL
Chardonnay

NOTES
VINEYARD: Estate Grown fruit (from 5 sites across the estate). The vineyards lie at 1890ft above sea level with various exposures - and are situated about 10-15 miles from the ocean. The soils are a combination of shale, siltstone, and sandstone.

VINIFICATION: The vineyards that produced this 2017 vintage were farmed using organic and biodynamic methods. The grapes were whole cluster pressed and barrel fermented using native yeast for primary and malolactic fermentation. Aging included 11 months in French oak, 20% new and an additional 7 months in tank.

TASTING NOTES: As was the case throughout California, the Santa Cruz Mountains experienced a mostly cool year until heat spikes arrived over Labor Day weekend. Very heavy rains over the winter and generally more moderate temperatures vis-à-vis other regions were to some extent mitigating factors. The Santa Cruz Mountains were not at all affected by the vicious fires that caused havoc further north in Sonoma and Napa.
Not surprisingly, producers had very different reactions to the heat. "The heat was forecast", winemaker Nathan Kandler said. "The question was how much fruit we could get off before. The most susceptible variety was Pinot Noir because of its thin skins and the proximity of the heat relative to harvest. Chardonnay, which has thicker, more resistant skins, and ripens later, generally fared better. Even so, Pinot and Chardonnay are lighter in 2017 than in more typical years."