Monticello Vineyards
2006 Monticello Vineyards Estate Grown Chardonnay
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Print: Tasting Notes
Tasting Notes:
Our Vintage 2006 MONTICELLO VINEYARDS Estate Grown Chardonnay is a wine rich in texture and long on the finish. The aromatics remind me of caramel-covered apples, pineapples and pears. The oak is well integrated and frames the fruit nicely. Because of its rich texture and lower than typical acidity, I enjoy drinking this wine chilled, as that enhances some of the brighter aspects of the wines and brings them into play.
Our Monticello Vineyards designated chardonnays are a great example of how the different clone, rootstock and soil combinations specifics in our vineyard combine to create a most harmonious wine. In the blend, we have wine from each chardonnay block on our Estate. As each of these blocks has a different character, we take a slightly different winemaking approach. Some, we have utilized malolactic fermentation; others have received a higher percentage of new oak. Most were fermented with native yeasts from our vineyard and cellar. All the grapes were pushed to full ripeness and the rich flavors and aromas are evidence. We have put together a wine that, while rich and satisfying, still maintains a balanced and appropriate acidity for pairing with a wide variety of foods.
Vineyards:
Home Ranch Vineyard – Napa Valley, Oak Knoll District
Our Chardonnay vineyard in the Oak Knoll district of Napa Valley is planted with four different clones of Chardonnay (our Heirloom Clones and Dijon Clones #76, #95, #96 to 420A rootstock, 101-14 and 5c from which we produce Chardonnay grapes with rich bright fruit flavors.
Harvest Dates
September 19 – September 30, 2006
Brix:
24.8 Brix average
Alcohol:
14.1%
Vintage: A slightly cool start in spring delayed bud break a bit but the growing season evened out with the heat spike in July and then moderate temperatures in Aug and Sept brought on a steady chardonnay harvest.
Vinification: 70% of the wine was fermented and aged for 9 months in new and used French Oak Barrels. 30% of the wine was fermented very slowly in stainless steel tanks. There is an increased the level of malolactic fermentation in the 2006 Estate Chardonnay as compared to recent vintages, rounding out the mouth feel and adding nice layers of rich complexity to both the flavor and aromatic profile.