July 11th 2006 - Chardonnay Reborn

I am so proud of our young Chardonnay vineyard! We acquired this vineyard right after it had been planted, but unfortunately many vines were showing signs of weakness. I invited a host of experts to take a look at the vineyard, and they recommended removing the entire vineyard and replanting. The majority opinion was that the weak vines would never catch up to the stronger ones and it would create a management headache. 

 

Ripping out baby vines (infanticide!) seemed like such a vile act; I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I carefully nurtured the weak vines to try to bring them up to the level of their stronger neighbors, and they have rewarded us for our efforts! 2004 was our first harvest for this block, and we picked just 2 tons. Before the harvest, I had my doubts about the quality of wine that a first harvest can produce, but this wine has astounded me. It is so nuanced and layered. It is a joy to drink. I don’t want to praise it too highly, as we have just sold out (except for a few cases that I am saving for Bradley for after the baby comes!), but the 2005 has just finished a very slow fermentation and is showing more elegance and finesse than the 2004. Think white Burgundy (but drink Medlock Ames).