2008 Monte Bello Chardonnay

2008 monte bello chardonnay®

Varietal Information

2008 Chardonnay, Monte Bello, bottled January 2010
100% chardonnay
14.1% alcohol by volume

History

In 1949 William Short, retired theologian and then-owner of the Ridge "middle" vineyard (2070' - 2390'), planted several acres of chardonnay, which provided the 1962 estate Monte Bello Chardonnay for the Ridge partners' first vintage. From 1962 to 1984, limited amounts of chardonnay were produced each year under the Monte Bello designation. By 1985, younger, replanted vines had begun to supplant the older vines, whose yields had dropped to a quarter-ton per acre. (To distinguish this wine from the Monte Bello, we called it Santa Cruz Mountains.) Fifteen years later, in 1999, the young vines had matured; we were able to select several exceptional parcels for a Monte Bello, a practice that continues to the present.

Vintage

Harvest Dates: 2 September - 8 September
Harvest Conditions: Average Brix 23.4°
Fermentation: Whole-cluster pressed. Juice aerated and racked to barrel for natural primary and secondary.
Selection: Two of the ten Monte Bello Vineyard chardonnay parcels
Barrels: 90% air-dried American oak (10% new, 66% one and two years, 24% three years old) & 10% French oak barrels.
Aging: Sixteen months in barrel

Growing Season

Rainfall: 30 inches (just below average)
Bloom: Early June
Weather: Moderate summer and fall

Winemaker Tasting Notes

Translucent gold. Braised pear, citrus, dried fig, ginger, toasted brioche. Elegant entry, bright acidity. Apple, browned butter, flint. Lemon peel and honeysuckle in a long finish. (8/11)

Tasting Notes and Reviews


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