Villa Mt. Eden 2007 Chardonnay - Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:33:00 GMT

Villa Mt. Eden 2007 Chardonnay - Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley" border="0" hspace="3">

Villa Mt. Eden 2007 Chardonnay - Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley
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TastingNotes
"Inviting aromas of honeydew melon, honeysuckle and minerals leadto flavors of bright tropical fruits, creamy richness andrefreshing acidity. This wine blends the typical French mineralitywith big, California juicy fruit; the result is a Chardonnay thatis at once rich and energetic." – Armando De Santiago,Winemaker

Vineyards

Bien Nacido Vineyards, located in the Santa Maria Valley inSanta Barbara County, is one of America’s great, “grand cru”vineyards. Its owner, the Miller family, custom-farms each blockfor those who purchase the grapes; Villa Mt. Eden, one of thelargest and oldest buyers of Bien Nacido fruit, has had asuccessful relationship with the Millers since 1992.
Most valleys in California’s winegrowing regions run north andsouth; Santa Maria Valley runs west to east, channeling PacificOcean breezes and fog into Bien Nacido in the morning and evening –ideal conditions for cool-climate-loving Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.Because of the chilly conditions, Santa Maria Valley has one of thelongest growing seasons in the state – three weeks longer than NapaCarneros, for example -- and Burgundian varieties ripen at a slow,steady pace, and retain their natural acidity.

Winemaking

The fruit was hand-picked in the chill of the night, whengrapes are at their freshest, and delivered to the winery in arefrigerated truck. The whole clusters were gently pressed,maximizing the intense, ripe flavors yet without over-extraction oftannins from the skins and seeds.
The juice was partially fermented in stainless steel tanks,then moved to medium-heavy-toast French oak barrels (33% of themnew) to complete fermentation. Secondary malolactic fermentationwas induced in 85% of the wine, to slightly soften the briskacidity and add a creamy impression.
This Chardonnay was aged in barrels for nine months, withregular stirring to keep the wine in contact with the spent yeastcells. Barrel and sur lie aging enhances the wine’s mouth-feel andlends delicate spice and cream characters to the aromas andflavors.

Technical Data

Total Acidity 0.67g /100ml
pH 3.32
Alcohol 14.4%
Blend 100% Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard

Food Pairings

Grilled pork loin
Roasted chicken
Corn chowder

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Villa Mt. Eden 2007 Chardonnay - Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley