2023 Chardonnay, Hyde Vineyard Napa Carneros

Vineyard: Planted by trailblazing grape grower Larry Hyde, this site is considered by many to be the gold standard of Carneros Chardonnay. The vineyard is defined by its uniquely deep – up to 36 inches - and well-drained soils comprised of red clay loam and rocks atop impenetrable clay. This soill profile, combined with the cooling effects of the dense fog and gentle breezes that sweep in daily from nearby San Pablo Bay makes Hyde Vineyard an ideal Chardonnay growing site. This Saxon Brown bottling hails from the vineyard’s coveted Musque Block which produces the most elegant, Puligny-Montrachet style of all our Chardonnays. This was especially true in 2022, a near perfect growing season that, due to continuing drought stress, saw smaller yields of superbly structured fruit.

Winemaking: In keeping with our site-specific focus, we employ similar winemaking techniques for each of our Chardonnays so that the individual character of the vineyard ultimately distinguishes each bottling. As in vintages past, the grapes for our 2023 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay were picked under lights in the early morning and transferred immediately to the winery where they were whole fruit pressed. The juice cold settled for two days at 40F before being racked to a mix of new and one year old French oak barrels and inoculated with a low rate of select Burgundian yeast. After 90 days of cold fermentation, the wine continued in barrel sur lie for an additional nine months with a delayed, secondary malolactic fermentation taking place in the spring. The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Tech:

Suggested Price: $75/bottle
Case Production: 250 cases
Harvest Date: September 29, 2023
Brix at Harvest: 23.8
Clone: Musque
Aging: 28 months in 50% new French oak
Bottled Date: May 1, 2025
Alc: 13.7
TA: 6.7
Ph: 3.3