Scribd
Upload
58 views1 page

2016 Graffigna Malbec Overview

This document summarizes a 2009 Chardonnay from Sonoma County, California. It discusses the cool, wet weather conditions of the vintage which delayed bud break but led to a long, mild growing season. It describes the winemaking process of whole cluster pressing and fermenting some of the juice in oak and some in stainless steel. Upon bottling in September 2010, the winemaker noted the wine displayed a wonderful elegance and more citrus, acidity, and minerality than previous vintages, making it one of the most balanced and complex Chardonnays produced in years.

Uploaded by

Jasoh Prime and Pub
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
58 views1 page

2016 Graffigna Malbec Overview

This document summarizes a 2009 Chardonnay from Sonoma County, California. It discusses the cool, wet weather conditions of the vintage which delayed bud break but led to a long, mild growing season. It describes the winemaking process of whole cluster pressing and fermenting some of the juice in oak and some in stainless steel. Upon bottling in September 2010, the winemaker noted the wine displayed a wonderful elegance and more citrus, acidity, and minerality than previous vintages, making it one of the most balanced and complex Chardonnays produced in years.

Uploaded by

Jasoh Prime and Pub
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

2009

chardonnay
sonoma county
The Vineyards Sonoma County Chardonnay entered the collective wine consciousness in the 1960s with historic plantings in Sonoma and Alexander Valleys. The reputation of the county expanded a decade later as vintners began to better understand their terroir and implement more modern winemaking techniques. Next, cooler vineyard sites were developed by pioneering winemakers who planted vines in Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Today, Sonoma County is considered one of the greatest AVAs for Chardonnay in all of California. Our 2009 features multiple clones from a number of extraordinary vineyards in both Carneros and lower Sonoma Valley. The Vintage Cool, wet weather in late winter and early spring delayed vine development. A mild spring and summer led to larger cluster sizes that forced us to thin all of our blocks planted to Clone 4. A warm Indian summer allowed us to harvest our Chardonnay from late September through mid-October, avoiding the torrential rains that showed up at the end of the season. Winemaking We hand-picked and whole-cluster pressed the grapes then racked 52% of the juice (mainly from cooler sites) into oak for barrel fermentation followed by malolactic fermentation. The remainder was tank fermented at cooler temperatures with malolactic prevented to preserve bright fruit notes and acidity. Select yeast strains, including indigenous, were utilized, depending on the vineyard. Most of the stainless steel fermented lots were racked with light lees into neutral barrels in December/January. We aggressively stirred the barrels in April to early May to release more texture and avors. Barrel lots were racked o the lees in July and lightly ned. Bottling began in mid-September. Winemakers Notes Our 2009 Chardonnay possesses a wonderful elegance due to the coolness of the vintage. While the wine still has the abundant orchard fruit avors typical of Sonoma County Chardonnay, it also displays more citrus, acidity and minerality than we have seen in the past. The oak prole is also subdued to better match the wines intensity, but there is still plenty of inherent texture and ripeness thanks to the Indian summer and frequent stirring of the lees. Overall, this is one of the most balanced, complex and delicious Sonoma County Chardonnays weve produced in years. ~ Mark R. Lyon, Winemaker
#6115042

appellation Sonoma County composition 99% Chardonnay, 1% Rousanne cooperage 52% barrel fermented, 25% tank fermented returned to neutral oak alcohol 13.8% ta 0.58 g/100ml pH 3.45 bottling date September 2010 release date February 2011

sebasti an i vin e ya r d s & w in e r y ds 389 f o u r t h st r eet east th str 8 0 0 - 8 8 8 - 5532 w w w . seb asti an i . c o m ast i

so n o m a c a 954 7 6

You might also like