Winemaker's Notes
For the same reasons that I preferred the 1998 Chardonnay to the 1997, this, our third vintage, is yet another step finer than before. Whole cluster pressing (like with sparkling wine) was stopped at very low juice yields, giving more fine elements and avoiding possible coarseness from the skin tissue. The 1999 vintage also gave us somewhat more spicy fruit. Strangely, this wine never really went through bottle sickness. It is the most seamless and generous Chardonnay we have produced from this vineyard. Previous vintages indicate how slowly and gracefully this unfined, unfiltered style of Chardonnay ages.
