Wine Spectator 94
Stunning and powerful, with mouthwatering lemon curd, lime blossom and mandarin orange flavors, plus fresh-grated ginger and lemon verbena. Shows sea salt minerality that gains momentum on the finish, where grace notes of toasted green tea, citrus zest and white pepper linger. Drink now through 2030. M.W.

Tasting Notes
"This crisp, complex wine delivers elegant layers of tangerine and lemon. It builds focus and texture on the palate as it opens, with subtle hints of oak spice and crushed rock contributing to the delicious profile. Vineyard sites include the producer's estate Westside Farms, as well as Rochioli Allen."

The Wine
This is the 3rd vintage to come exclusively from Martinellis Charles Ranch vineyard in the Fort Ross Seaview AVA in the Sonoma Coast. Charles Ranch has been farmed by the Martinelli family since the late 1800s. In 1982 George Hastings Charles (Lee Martinelli Jrs maternal grandfather planted the vineyard and Lee Martinelli Jr. has managed the vineyard since 1989. The vineyard is located two ridges away from the Pacific ocean and is planted to Old Wente clones on AXR rootstocks in thin and well drained Goldridge sandstone and Josephine shale-stone soils.

Vintage Notes
The perfect dichotomy of fruit and acid exemplifies the Russian River Valley. The crisp mouthfeel is nurtured in cool sites with low vigor soils such as Goldridge Loam. A classic. Coming from special vineyard sites, our Chardonnays show great depth of flavor, length of finish, aromatic complexity, and a fine balance between richness and delicacy. Typically, the climate is cool and the soil vigor low, producing graceful yet vibrant wines. The 2021 vintage is 55% Westside Farms, 18% Kilcullen, 13% Dutton Sebastopol, 10% Martinelli Charles Ranch, and 4% Frank Johnson.

Harvest Dates: Aug 28 Sept 6

Brix: 22.4 average

Winemaking
We press whole clusters for phenolic delicacy. Native-yeast and full native malolactic fermentation take place in barrel, with sur lies btonnage. After aging 12 months in 10% new French oak barrels (Taransaud Beaune, Franois Frres), the Chardonnay was traditionally fined for clarity during the following harvest and bottled without filtration in January 2023

Winemaker Notes
Coming from special vineyard sites, our Chardonnays show great depth of flavor, length of finish, aromatic complexity, and a fine balance between richness and delicacy. Typically, the climate is cool and the soil vigor low, producing graceful yet vibrant wines.