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2021 Sterling Vineyards Napa Valley Chardonnay
$24.00
Bottle
Price
$24.00
$288.00
Case
(12)
Price
$288.00
Member Pricing
Tasting Notes
Made with 100% Carneros grapes, this Chardonnay is bright and fresh, with aromas of green apple, lime zest, and delicate orange blossom. The palate is rich and creamy, with a lovely viscosity and hints of prickly spice, which adds complexity and liveliness. The finish is long and round, with a savory mouthwatering quality and a nice hint of salinity. As the wine opens, there are secondary notes of toasted almond skin, and subtler hints of beeswax, lanolin, and linen. On the palate, ripe fruit notes of candied pineapple, Fuji apple, and lemon meringue come through. As the wine evolves in the glass, there are also hints of baked Granny Smith apple pie, lemon curd and toasted marshmallow. This Chardonnay has a significant backbone of oak, which adds richness and creaminess, with most of the oak influence coming across on the finish. Crafted to pair well with rich, creamy dishes like Alfredo pasta or grilled chicken in lemon butter sauces.Technical Information
| Varietal | Chardonnay |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Volume | 750mL |
| Appellation | Napa Valley |
| Alcohol % | 14.5% |
Winemaking
Our Chardonnay was harvested in the cool morning hours and sent directly to press at the winery. We fermented the juice from these grapes with a combination of French (65%) and American oak (35%) to impart rich texture and added spice notes. 100% of the wine was allowed to complete malolactic fermentation. The final wine is elegant and shows a core of beautiful fruit character with balanced, bright acidity.Vintage
The beginning of the 2021 growing season came early, with extended periods of sunny weather and produced exceptionally high-quality fruit, some of the best in recent years. Rain early in the year led to almost no notable precipitation for the rest of the season, providing an ideal environment for the grapes with budbreak early in April, followed by flowering and bloom in May. The summer however returned to more seasonal, expected temperatures, and even ripening led to one of the earliest harvest beginnings. Low yields (in part due to drought conditions), created fruit that is intensely flavored and smaller in berry size. Once harvest began, we saw clear skies through all of September and well into October before we received some early rain. With optimal ripening and taste, our winemakers took their time bringing grapes in, crafting wines of fantastic character, with amazing color extraction, aromatic intensity, tremendous balance, and structure, that are equally lush and fruity.Vineyard
Fruit for this Napa Valley Chardonnay comes from prestigious vineyard sites in the most southern part of Napa Valley, at Stanly Ranch and BV Ranch 9, from the Carneros AVA. These Chardonnay vineyards are located in the cool, windy, southernmost tip of Napa Valley, where the region’s shallow clay loam soils and marine-influenced climate foster ripe, beautifully balanced Chardonnays. These vineyard sites consistently produce Chardonnay ideal for our style of winemaking with fresh fruit flavors and bright acidity.