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Chardonnay Vineyards

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Lorenzo  |  Green Acres Hill  | Durrell 'Sand Hill' | Rued | Twin Hill | Mill Station

Chardonnay ready for the press

Handling of the fruit is done gently at harvest. After being picked into half ton bins the fruit goes direct to press. After a long slow press cycle the juice is barreled down with a high degree of solids, which are precursors to flavor. The wines spend 15 months in 2/3 new French oak on the fermentation (yeast) lees. About a year after fermentation yeast autolysis (degradation of yeast cell wall) occurs releasing components of the yeast cell. It is after this time and under these conditions that the wines develop unique flavors of crème brulee and briochette which is the Chasseur signature. Bottled without fining or filtration, the vineyard designated wines receive another six months of bottle age before release.

Lorenzo

This vineyard is owned and farmed by John and Phyllis Bazzano and is located in the Russian River Valley just east of Sebastopol. The vineyard was planted to a Wente selection in 1973 and is dry farmed. There is a marine funnel effect coming in from the Pacific ocean causing foggy days and cool nights which allows for very late ripening. It is because of this cool weather that the vineyard is the last to arrive at the winery every year. The fruit notes of the wine are lemon grass with steely, wet stone and briochette characteristics.

Green Acres Hill

This vineyard is owned by the prominent wine growing family, the Sangiacomos, and is located in the Carneros appellation, which overlaps the Sonoma Coast appellation. This area is well suited for Chardonnay having both a cool climate and well-drained soils. The Green Acres Hill block was planted to the Sangiacomo Wente selection in 1991. The rocky, well-drained soils are reminiscent of those from Burgundy. The vigor of the vine is kept in check by the shallow, well-drained soils, which in turn maintains low yields. The vines yield less than 7 pounds per vine which is an extremely low yield for Chardonnay. This in turn makes for a very concentrated wine. The characteristics of the wine are concentrated tropical notes.

Durrell 'Sand Hill'

This vineyard is owned by William Price, and farmed by Steve Hill, and is located in the Southern Sonoma Valley on the eastern edge of the Sonoma Coast appellation. The breezy hillside elevation and the cool San Pablo Bay influences create a late ripening microclimate. The vineyard was planted in 1997 to a Wente selection from the Hyde ranch via Kistler's Sand Hill block. The notes of this wine are citric with flinty, wet stone characteristics.

Rued

his vineyard was planted over 25 years ago from some of the oldest bud wood in the state by the Rued family. Hence this Chardonnay has come to be known as the Rued selection. The vineyard is located on Graton road on the way to Occidental. Due to the age of the vineyard the resulting wine is very complex which plays well with its concentration.

Twin Hill

Ben Hurst planted the Twin Hill ranch Chardonnay vineyard to two clones in 1999, three acres of Robert Young wente selection and 3 acres of Dijon 95. This area is ideal for Chardonnay in that there is a cool influence coming in from the ocean which is typical of this area.  This leads to long hang time and rich flavor development.  Click the links below to find out more of these blocks.  Click on the links below for information on each block.

Twin Hill Chardonnay Robert Young

The bud wood for the Robert Young block came from, obviously, the famed Robert Young block vineyard in Alexander Valley. This is an old Wente selection whose physiology is small bunches and shot berries. These characteristics lead to rich concentrations of flavor. This wine predominantely goes into the Sonoma Coast blend, however, a vineyard designate is planned for the 2004 vintage.

Twin Hill Chardonnay Dijon 95

This block of the Twin Hill Chardonnay was planted to the Dijon 95 clone. The physiology of the clone is similar to that of most Wente selections, small bunches and shot berries making for concentrated wines. The characteristics of the clone is earlier ripening. However, in this area nothing ripens earlier. This fruit is typically harvested in late October. This block currently goes into the Sonoma Coast blend.

Mill Station

This is another old wente vineyard planted and farmed by the Dutton family. Located in the west county area the vines are twenty years old. The cool climate along with the age of the vines makes for a wine of depth, concentration and complexity. Currently this vineyard is going into the Russian River Valley blend along with the Rued block.