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1998 Reserve Chardonnay
Tasting Notes
“This is a complex wine that offers the best of a classic vintage. Rich, ripe fruit flavors of coconut and pineapple linger in the mouth. Ample vanilla and toast integrate well with the fruit to create a mouthfilling, velvety wine.” -Doug Gore, Winemaker
Vintage
“Vintage of the decade” is the phrase most often used to describe the 1998 growing season. Bright, warm and stable weather patterns resulted in intensely fruity grapes with ideal sugar-to-acid ratios. Early growing season temperatures were mild and bud break commenced in April. A hot, dry weather pattern held in July and August and produced small clusters of small, powerfully flavored berries. As temperatures fell to the high 80s in mid-August, grape ripening slowed so the clusters enjoyed ideal hang-time. Moderate weather prevailed throughout harvest which began late August and concluded mid-October.
Vineyards
The Reserve Chardonnay is crafted from 20-year-old vines seated among the Columbia Crest Estate vineyard. Deficit irrigation, judicious vineyard management and added sun exposure for selected lots push the fruit to peak flavor potential. The vineyard is seated east of the Cascade Mountain range that effectively blocks eastward-moving wet weather systems from the Pacific Ocean. Just 6 to 8 inches of rainfall reach the growing region annually. Irrigation is applied carefully during the growing season, and the soils have low fertility and low water-holding capacity. Each of these factors allows for precise control of vine growth patterns. The resulting fruit flourishes under the combined conditions of low rainfall, low cloud incidence, high light intensity and temperatures, and low humidity.
Winemaking
Amber-hued grapes were picked by hand during cool, early morning hours. The grapes were pressed and the juice was placed in new French Burgundian oak where it fermented for 14 days. Malolactic fermentation followed, then each lot was evaluated and just 10% of the barrels were selected for 15 months sur lie aging. During this time, the wine was hand-stirred to integrate the flavors.
Technical Data
- Total acidity: 0.56 g/100ml
- pH: 3.83
- Alcohol: 14.1%