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Horse Heaven Hills
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2004 Reserve Chardonnay
90 pts - Wine Spectator
Tasting Notes
“ This Horse Heaven appellation wine delivers intense spice, coconut, pear, and apple on the nose. These complement the intensely fruity, buttery flavors which create a complex but perfectly balanced, lush and lingering finish.” -Ray Einberger, Winemaker
Growing Season
- A hot, dry growing season created ideal flavor maturity and promoted an early harvest start
- Cool temperatures and intermittent rain in mid-September promoted extended hang time, which allowed the grapes to reach ideal physiologic maturing.
- The 2004 harvest is characterized by smaller berry and cluster size, with intense flavors, good sugar development and high natural acidity.
Vineyards
- The fruit for the Reserve Chardonnay is picked by hand from Columbia Crest’s own select Estate vinyeards located on the Horse Heaven Hills.
- The vintage’s balance between warm daytime temperatures and cooler evenings concentrated aromatics and enhanced complexity.
- The appellation’s low rainfall stressed the vines, yielding concentrated fruit with depth and varietal expression.
Vinification
- Hand-picked grapes were held separately for vinification.
- Grapes were pressed, and the juice cold settled for two days before racking into new Burgundian-style barrels.
- Barrel fermentation lasted for up to two weeks followed by malolactic fermentation.
- The wine aged for 16 months in barrels, which were hand- stirred weekly during the first 14 months.
Technical Data
- Total acidity: 0.51 g/100ml
- pH: 3.63
- Alcohol: 14.2%
- Blend: 100% Chardonnay