Winemaking Notes
Our Oak Knoll Chardonnay exhibits solid, robust character representative of Napa Chardonnays. We utilized two clones, the Robert Young Clone and clone 15, which we harvested in the cool night hours. At the winery, the grapes were destemmed and crushed, and then barrel fermented to impart structure and sweet spices. We allowed a good portion of the wine to undergo secondary malolactic fermentation, which converted the tart malic acids into creamy lactic acids, balancing the wine with a nice buttery component that unfolds on the palate. The wine was then aged for approximately 8 months in French and American oak barrels, a good percentage of which was new.