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Our Wines: Chardonnay

Our production of Chardonnay uses grapes from Scherrer Vineyard and other sources, including Helfer Vineyard and Fort Ross Vineyard.

Scherrer Vineyard Chardonnay: This is a rich and complex expression of Chardonnay from the Scherrer Vineyard. The grapes were whole-cluster pressed to French oak cooperage where primary and malolactic fermentation occurred. All these elements were allowed to integrate during its year long residence in wood. It was bottled without fining or filtration to respect both its delicacy and its more substantial qualities.

2005 : "After 17 months in barrel, this wine soaked up all the good stuff imaginable from the yeast lees, giving it a well-stuffed initial impression. Typical of our Chardonnays, I expect great development in bottle over the next few years. However, it is quite impressive at this point, even if not yet perfectly aged. There are minerally tones that play tag with the floral and toasty nuances on the initial aromas. Once in the mouth, it transforms into a star fruit-infused crème brulée finish with enough acidity and mineral-feel to keep things very interesting. 196 cases produced. $25 per bottle. Half bottles $13. Magnums $52."

-- Autumn, 2007 newsletter

2004: "I have been leaning toward extending barrel ageing beyond 12 months for this vineyard in recent vintages. While it delays both bottling and release of the wine, it also seems to round out the wine with good things (like mannoprotiens) 'leaking out' of the spent yeast in the barrel. This process appears to take much of what the yeast took out of the grapes and return it back to the wine adding more layers to the aromas, flavors and increasing texture. The young Fort Ross Vineyard Chardonnays seemed to have a signature tangerine note. It is starfruit for the Helfer's, and lime for the Scherrer's. Interestingly, these kinds of youthful notes are preserved well with longer barrel time while the bubble-gum 'baby-fat' is not. Due to the relatively early harvest date at the Scherrer Vineyard, this was harvested before the famous 2004 heat spell, so it was fermenting merrily inside our cool cellar with all its nuances intact.

"The nose is lightly perfumed, with a mild Riesling-esque hint, that typical lime thing, rain on freshly tilled soil, and even a slight trace of pineapple. On the mouth, it enters bright, full, and clean, showing a very slight toastiness that supports adult-styled dryness, minerality and good mouth-watering acidity finally bringing us back to that trace of lime. As the initial duo of minerality and acidity lift, a full-texture and oiliness come and go in a slow wave. I think this wine hits a sweet spot between ballerina and belly-dancer. 190 cases produced. $25 per bottle. Half bottles $13. Magnums $52."

-- Autumn, 2006 newsletter

2003: "For the first time, I bottled this late, after the following vintage. I am extremely happy with the complexity and balance of this wine. Flavors like lime and apple pie á la mode, it is rich and round with a mouth watering lift at the end. These Chardonnays age quite well. The 1997 is just beyond its peak, but the 1998 is right on, which the 2000 is entering. 2001 is still on its way up. To borrow another hackneyed phrase, 'patience is a virtue.' 210 cases produced. $25 per bottle."

-- Spring, 2005 newsletter

2002: "We have worked over the past seven vintages to refine our expression of the minerality, complexity and finesse that this Alexander Valley benchland Chardonnay site possesses. [Imagine the 'fab five' taking on winemaking. Well…maybe not.]

"This endeavor is like a tightrope walk. On one end of the rope, there is fruit and minerality. On the other end is rich mouth feel and continuity. There is the danger of falling into coarseness and heaviness and there is no net. To make it across the rope, we begin with very gentle whole-cluster pressing, then integrate hands-on techniques to navigate this fine line. This vintage is our most successful to date. 290 cases were produced. Release price: $25 per bottle, 24 bottle limit. Half bottles also available ($13)"

-- Spring, 2004 newsletter

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2001: "Professionals who have tasted through the cellar consistently remark as to the finesse, integration, complexity and 'minerality' that this Alexander Valley benchland Chardonnay possesses. Pressing very lightly to only take the finest juice, barrel fermentation followed by aging on the lees until just before bottling make the most of this fine fruit. Bottling without filtration or fining really preserves 'the good stuff', the colloidal material that replenishes flavor and youthfulness, over the years. This is also allows the wine to walk that tightrope of delicacy vs. fullness. We plan to show the 2000 vintage (also still available) at the open house as well, to illustrate the virtues of this style with a little bottle development. Someday, we should bring out a few bottles of the 1997, which is amazingly youthful and complex. 270 cases were produced. Release price: $25 per bottle. Half bottles ($13) and some magnums ($50) also available."

-- Spring, 2003 newsletter

2000: "This is the most hedonistic version of the Chardonnay from Dad's vineyard. As usual, whole cluster pressing (like with sparkling wine) was stopped at very low juice yields, giving more fine elements and avoiding any coarseness from the skins. With my two manually operated 'bladder presses' (please forgive the connotation) this requires valve turning, button pushing, lever turning and scurrying about reminiscent of Dorothy and her associates' first meeting with the man behind the curtain in 'The Wizard of Oz.' This is important to making high quality Chardonnay (the taking of only the first and finest juice as opposed to the scurrying), and especially critical for grapes from the less cool areas like Alexander Valley. Professionals who have tasted through the cellar consistently remark with surprise as to the finesse, integration, complexity and 'minerality' this benchland Chardonnay possesses. Previous vintages continue to indicate how slowly and gracefully this unfined, unfiltered style of Chardonnay ages. 550 cases were produced. Release price: $25 per bottle."

-- Spring, 2002 newsletter

Helfer Vineyard Chardonnay: The Helfer Vineyard is located in the Vine Hill area of the Russian River Valley. These densely planted vines require hand cultivation and yield more concentrated fruit than by traditional California vine spacing. This wine was bottled without fining or filtration to respect its finest qualities.

2005: "Happily, we are seeing the benefit of Don Helfer's grafting over of most of his Pinot Noir to Chardonnay. This wine strikes a nice balance between old world and new world personality. Lime zest, star fruit, minerality/wet stones on the nose, enveloped by a fairly thick texture in the mouth with sufficient, enlivening acidity are the hallmarks of this vineyard. It is just a baby. 140 cases produced. $36 per bottle. Half bottles $19. Magnums $74."

-- Library Tasting, 2007 newsletter

2004: "Rounder and fuller than the focused and lively Scherrer Vineyard bottling, this generous wine is pretty typical of past bottlings, albeit in a riper vintage. As with other Helfer bottlings, this wine has hardly had time in bottle to show its stuff. Usually, two to three more years allow its full expression. Recently, I have been leaving a bottle in the refrigerator for a day after opening to allow this to open up and reveal its gentle starfruit and minerality. As broad-shouldered as this is, there is a pleasant, sneaky brightness that reveals itself on the finish. 69 cases produced. $35 per 750 mL bottle. Limit 6."

-- Library Tasting, 2006 newsletter

2003: "This could end up my favorite vintage of this bottling to date. It has verve, balance, star-fruit, minerality and excitement. However, with this vineyard, its potential is only realized after several years' bottle time. We are finding that the 1998 and 1999 vintages are drinking spectacularly right now. Often mistaken for white Burgundy, this site is certainly a proper place for Chardonnay. Happily, we will receive the first fruit from ex-Pinot Noir vines grafted to more of this Chardonnay material in 2005, so it will be slightly easier to obtain in the future. 45 cases produced. $35 per 750 mL bottle. Limit 4."

-- Library Tasting, 2005 newsletter

2002: "Beginning with the 1999 vintage, I began to understand how this vineyard's Chardonnay needs several years in bottle to begin to reach its potential. I am also learning to give it more than 12 months in barrel as well. It is more like a white Burgundy than a California Chardonnay, often fooling experienced tasters. The vineyard is so well suited for this variety that the Helfer's have grafted over most of their Pinot Noir to a selection of Chardonnay budwood that they got from Kistler vineyards, their neighbor across Vine Hill Road. This vintage is most like the generous 2000 except that there were only two barrels, one new and one old. 45 cases produced. $35 per 750 mL bottle. Limit 4."

-- Library Tasting, 2004 newsletter

2001: "Due to an early budbreak and spring frosts, the crop was reduced by over 50% in this vineyard, down to one single barrel. However, my experience with this vineyard has shown that it does best with about 50% new oak. So, I had to figure out how to achieve the right new oak balance without resorting to 100% new oak or a new and an older 30 gallon barrel, which would not integrate into the wine nearly as well as the ubiquitous 60 gallon capacity. During the summer, in anticipation of the small yield and during an inspired moment, I persuaded the cooper at Seguin-Moreau turn one of my older barrels and one new barrel into two 50% new barrels by exchanging half of the staves and one head each. The results were good but we would be content if this did not happen every vintage. The wine has the signature 'star-fruit' character and hint of Burgundy-like struck-match that are part of this vineyard's typical personality when young, integrating slowly over several years to give something unique and exciting (the 1998 and 1999 are just hitting their stride). The initially more generous 2000 is still continuing to develop well. I think this well-structured 2001 will need even more time, but will be worth the wait. 22 cases produced. $35 per bottle. Available now."

Fort Ross Vineyard Chardonnay: We began our label with wine produced solely from my dad's vineyard in Alexander Valley in 1991. Since the late 1990's, we have included cooler-climate loving varieties from sites in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast. We are pleased to introduce you this year to our newest relationship: the Fort Ross Vineyard, first planted in the late 1990's, right on the edge of the continent. Due to the nearly vertical slope of the western sea-facing ridge and its elevation (around 1500 ft.), this vineyard enjoys the better aspects of this location…generally moderate temperatures during the growing season, tempered by, but above the fog.

2002: "This is our second and final bottling of vineyard designate Chardonnay from this coastal vineyard. It usually ripens just as most of the red wines fermenting in tank are ready to be pressed [and the decision on the timing of pressing the reds is of paramount importance] and threatened to interfere with our primary focus at a critical time. It was not an easy decision to stop working with this Chardonnay, but a necessary one. This wine is extremely generous and complex, somewhere between the 2001 vineyard designate and the small 2001 reserve bottling shown last Spring. It should age and develop well for quite a number of years. 400 cases produced. $28 per 750 mL, $15 per 375 mL."

-- Library Tasting, 2004 newsletter

2001: "This is the beginning of what I think is one of the most promising vineyards on the Sonoma Coast. The loose-clustered Hyde and Wente Chardonnay selections are performing beautifully there, at least in the riper vintages we have recently experienced. They produce a wine that is both rich and complex, with minerality and seamless continuity. Like a lemon chiffon cake with a twist of tangerine/lime zest in the aroma, it is generous, but has sufficient acidity to keep it alive and refreshing. I think it will age and develop well for many years due to its concentrated material, balance, and being bottled without any fining or filtration. Fortunately, there was no need to resize any barrels to accommodate this wine. 340 cases produced. $28 per bottle. Available now."

Fort Ross Vineyard Reserve Chardonnay: This wine was selected for its uncommon harmony and concentration. It was aged on its initial lees for fifteen months and bottled from a single barrel without fining or filtration in order to display its 'rubenesque' qualities without compromise. It possesses the material to age gracefully for many years.

2001: "I have always wanted to make a Chardonnay in this style, but never seized the opportunity before. During its first year in barrel, I was impressed with the harmony between a combination of two different new barrels of the 2001 Fort Ross Chardonnay. When the time came to rack the vineyard designate to tank, I decided to satisfy a longtime curiosity by blending wine from these two new barrels into an older barrel for further sur-lie aging where yeast autolysis and further harmonization could occur. This wine is incredibly thick and unctuous, and nearly a meal in itself. Not nearly a food wine, this wine is nearly a food. 21 cases produced Release price: $35 per bottle, 4 bottle limit, orders filled until wine is gone."

-- Spring, 2004 newsletter

2000: "The very first harvest from the Fort Ross Chardonnay Vineyard yielded a minute crop of tiny berries that produced a wine with mild earthiness, honeysuckle, great textural minerality (perhaps a signature of the site?) and perky balance uncommon in California Chardonnay. We came up 10 gallons short of two full barrels on the day of pressing. In response to this, I had a neighboring cooper 'shrink down' one of my older barrels, removing some of the staves and resizing the heads and hoops so that we could keep the wine from this site completely separate after fermentation. I held off on deciding how to label it until I could see what the vineyard personality would settle into over the next two vintages. Upon seeing how generous these successive vintages are, I decided to 'declassify' this as a regional bottling to reduce the confusion with this vineyard's more mature personality. It is currently drinking quite well and is priced to reduce any guilt associated with cork-pulling. 38 cases produced. $18 per bottle. Available now."

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