Fall Release Ritchie Vineyard Chloe Chardonnay
2012

Winemaker’s Notes

The most obviously rich and Californian-styled of our 2012 Chardonnay bottlings, our latest Chloe release is a strong follow up to the stellar 2011 bottling and another great wine in this long line of vintages stretching back to 2000. As our warmest Chardonnay site, it’s only correct that this should be our deepest wine and the designate Chardonnay to drink first – for its dramatic opulence and flavor impact. Sometimes too much of a good thing is just enough after all. What’s important though is that richness and texture need not automatically come at the expense of vibrancy or freshness, and this wine holds true to that. There’s always a strong sense of dynamic energy and flickering acidity to the wine that prevents it becoming heavy or too concentrated and unbalanced. There’s a great deal of old vine concentration and layered depth here but it’s intrinsically a finely-tuned pulsating, shimmering wine.

Aromatically fruit-forward with ripe peach, cantaloupe, lemon curd and orange marmalade. Floral lilies, toasted almonds and fennel complexity. Underlying savory cut grass character mixes with richer nectar and pollen notes. Fruit dominant palate – tangy citrus marmalade, quite oily and viscous but always vibrant. Nectarine richness but offset by sea spray and olive elements. Evolves nicely in the glass. Firms up and lengthens. Floral notes run throughout the wine, apple blossom and iodine, quinine complexity. Good bright acidity to finish. Drink between 2014 and 2019.

Andy Smith Viticulturist, Winemaker & Partner