BY WINEMAKER FREDRIK JOHANSSON

As a whole, the 2011 growing season was cool and moderate with lots of sunshine and minimal fog throughout the summer. It started as one of the wettest and longest lasting winters of recent times with treacherous conditions during flowering which naturally limited set and significantly reduced yields. After some unseasonably late rains, a beneficially dry and fog free pattern established itself allowing the vines long, sunlit days to ripen and mature the fruit. With climatic conditions more reminiscent of Carneros than Rutherford, the Estate Chardonnay fruit came in wonderfully fresh with lower levels of sugar and higher levels of acid.  These characteristics paired perfectly with our utilization of traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques of hand sorting, whole cluster pressing, barrel-fermentation and sur-lie ageing. Given the abundant acid in the wine, we increased our use of new oak, the frequency of ‘batonnage’ and the percentage of wine we put through malo-lactic fermention.

Filling the glass with a rich mélange of white flowers, candied citrus and tropical fruits, the pomaceous 2011 Estate Chardonnay opens and builds to an opulent and contoured palate of lemon chiffon, ripe melon and Bartlett pear.  These beautiful fruit notes are richened by notes of flaky golden pie crust, sweet cream and fresh beeswax which then dissolves beautifully into a crisp and lengthy saline-infused and chalk-inflected finish of wet stones and liquid minerals. I can’t wait to see how this wine develops and evolves with some more time in bottle.

Release Date: March 1, 2013
Harvest Dates: September 27 - October 2
Fermentation: 100% Barrel Fermentation
Barrel Aging: 10 months
Oak: 69% New, 31% Used
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 14.5%

Antonio Galloni of Wine Advocate, December 2012 | 2011 Staglin Family Vineyard Chardonnay: 93 points
"The 2011 Chardonnay is quite beautiful. It presents an attractive combination of varietal richness from the batonnage and aging on the lees as seen through the lens of the long, cold growing season. Staglin’s 2011 Chardonnay stands out for its textural finesse, depth and overall balance. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016."