Spring Release Cuvée HHS Chardonnay
2022

Winemaker’s Notes

The two acknowledged and indisputable “Grand Cru” Chardonnay vineyards of Napa Valley are Hyde, who we've worked with for 20+ years, and its neighbor a few miles west, Hudson Ranch. An offer of a 3-acre parcel of "Montrachet” clone Chardonnay at Hudson came our way in early 2022 – very flattering and hard to ignore! We prefer to experiment with a vineyard for at least two years before committing to a new bottling, so the natural extension of this new opportunity is a vineyard blend – and an exceptional one at that. And I could not imagine two more complementary vineyards. Hyde brings mineral intensity, sharp focus, and electric acid structure; Hudson is broad, deeply layered, with obvious power and density. A perfect complementary combination both on paper and, it turns out, in the barrel then bottle then glass. We aged this blend in large 500L puncheons to tame the natural richness of the Hudson fruit and preserve the fine line of Hyde acidity. It’s a wine of power and presence with deeply pitched intensity and serious volume, and with lower acidity than our Sonoma wines. A great start and platform for the future.

The aromas combine lime and pear notes with richer apricot and marmalade tones. With air spearmint, hazelnut and oatmeal characters emerge underpinned by flinty minerals. The palate is immediately rich, full, and broad. The oily layers present an almost chewy tactile sensation. That flinty edge flows through the wine to combine with a lime zest note and a fine line of mineral acidity. Serve at 55F and drink between mid-2024 and 2028.

Andy Smith