2016 Chardonnay The High Wire

• - Harvest date:  September 18, 2016
• - Fruit source:  own-rooted Wente clone planted 1977
• - Grapes at harvest: Brix 21.0, pH 3.2, TA 7.3 gr/liter
• - Finished wine: Alcohol 12.7%, pH 3.38, TA 6.5 gr/liter
• - Barrel aged 16 months in French oak, 33% new barrels
• - 118 cases produced
• - Bottled unfined February 5, 2018

BEYOND THE BLOCKS

The High Wire is part of 4-wine series launched in 2014 by our second-generation winemaker, Ben Casteel, to explore the terroir of our Estate vineyards through a new lens.
 

WINEMAKER NOTES

The Wente Chardonnay has produced some of our most detailed and compelling wines in recent years, a departure from its youth when it struggled to achieve ripeness.   2016 marks a departure from the previous vintages that were sleek, precise, and compact.   The 2016 is broad and expansive, still maintaining its hallmark acidity, but layering a pillowy texture on top, taking the wine into new territory.  Aromas and flavors of lemon curd, graham, and baked apple, the wine’s texture and mouthfeel seem to expand on the palate, with fresh acidity keeping the wine in balance.
 

ACCOLADES 

96 points, The Wine Advocate
The 2016 Chardonnay The High Wire opens with honey toast, hazelnut, lemon confit and tangy yogurt with nuances of freshly cut hay, white blossoms and red apple skin. Medium-bodied and creamy textured, it has a firm streak of crushed rock in the mouth over honeysuckle, honeycomb, toast and spiced apple pie plus mouthwatering acidity and a lovely texture to carry the very long, savory, honeyed finish.
 

MORE DETAILS

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