PLUMERIA * SAIJO PERSIMMON * SAFFRON

This wine started as an experiment in 2010. We had been farming the muscat-like Chardonnay clone 809 for years, and its powerful floral and tropical notes always stood out. Inspired by the skin-contact white wines we admired from Slovenia and Northern Italy, we tried fermenting the fruit on its skins, like a red wine, to balance the aromatic vigor of this unique clone. The wine now sees three months on skins in concrete eggs. This ancient (and resurgent) process adds structure and texture, and the result is a memorably expressive, golden-hued wine. It continues to reveal its complexity and hold its own across the span of a meal – a new expression of California Chardonnay.

soil type: Volcanic gravel and Huichica loam

22.2 °Bx | pH 3.83 | TA 5.3 g/L | 12.5 % alc.