Atelier Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2021 750ml

"Pale gold color with a green hue, this Chardonnay opens with a nose of Bartlett pear, honeydew melon, and almond paste. The streamlined palate is elegant with flavors of apple, lemon curd, nougat, honeycomb, and sea salt with the finish revealing balanced creaminess and a minerality indicative and prized as a nod to the soil of its origin.

Our pursuit of delicate and distinctive sustainably farmed Chardonnay fruit led us to the Middle Reach neighborhood of the Russian River Valley. The site that captured our fascination is a bed of Yolo grey clay over blue loam with a profoundly deep gravel base. This vineyard is planted to approximately even percentages of Clone 4 (still on AXR-1 rootstock) and Clone 17 (Robert Young clone) grafted to 101-14 rootstock. Both blocks are trained to a Lyre system which allows for improved leaf exposure to sunlight in this area known for daily fog cover, this system also provides excellent distribution of fruit.