Winter Release Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay
2020

Winemaker’s Notes

Throughout our 25+ year history we’ve intently focused upon capturing the essence of these special vineyards we’re lucky to harvest. It’s been a process of building our own culture around these unique vineyard parcels—finding our own way, expressing our own soils. Occasionally, however, a vintage and vineyard take charge and combine to produce something remarkable that transports us out of our locale. 

In the case of our newest vintage of Hyde Chardonnay, the wine’s similarity to a Grand Cru Burgundy is unmistakable. This wine has everything—flinty aromas, mineral-drenched intensity, dense-deep fruit extract, and pinpoint saline acidity. This is what the vineyard gave us this year and it’s a reflection of our nature-led winegrowing approach—the vines chart their own course.

The aromas are full of freshly struck matchstick and flint, wheat toast, hazelnut, and crisp orchard fruits. The wine’s deep texture immediately dominates – layered and chewy with profound density and concentration. Flavors of lemon and lime oil, white peach, and honeyed ginger flow and linger to a pinpoint, focused finish. Salty acidity cuts through the richness and opulence. The wine continues to develop over three or four days in an opened/recorked bottle. Drink between late 2022 and 2030. Serve at 55F. One of our finest ever Chardonnay bottlings.

Andy Smith Viticulturist, Winemaker & Partner