Charles Ranch Chardonnay Wine
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- Wine colorWhite
This distinct micro-climate is two miles inland from the Pacific coastline at Fort Ross and is ideally suited for growing Burgundian varietals. In 1980 George sold his buffalo herd and used the steep 14 acre pasture to plant Chardonnay, becoming a pioneer of grape growing in an area that is now considered a prime viticultural region.
The grapes are picked at 25 degrees brix to ensure mature ripe fruit flavors. They are hand selected at harvest time by Lee Martinelli and Helen Turley, who taste the grapes and choose when to pick according to the developed flavors in the berries. The wine is 100% barrel fermented with wild yeast and encouraged to fully complete malo-lactic fermentation. It is unfined and unfiltered and rests in 65% new French oak for 11 months before bottling. This is a handcrafted wine. It is unfined, unfiltered, neither cold nor heat stabilized and contains naturally occurring sediment. We recommend decanting or allowing the bottle to sit upright in a cool place prior to serving. Salute!
Cases Produced: 325
In The Press: 2010 "2006 Martinelli Vineyards Chardonnay Charles Ranch Sonoma Coast - Yellow-gold. Fresh melon, peach, smoked meat, toasty lees, iodine and white flowers on the nose, perked up by exotic Indian spices; lots going on here! Deep, chewy orchard and pit fruit flavors are firmed by juicy acidity and underscored by brown butter, herbs and spices, with smoky lees carrying into the finish. Offers remarkable vivacity for such power and depth, and a finish that refuses to let up. For the quality, this is an absolute steal." - Josh Raynolds