Franciscan Chardonnay Oakville

Description

Sensory Evaluation AppearancePale yellowAromasBright pear and lemon are accented by subtle minerality and seashell notes, with accents of caramel apple and nutmeg adding richness.FlavorsRipe Fuji apple and Bosc pear provide a soft entry and vibrant mouthfeel. Lively fruit is supported by notes of vanilla and cream, and the generous body provides a lingering finish of apple, vanilla bean, and spice.Winemaker’s Notes With Chardonnay, Franciscan Estate looks for the sort of richness and opulence that malolactic fermentation and sur lie aging in oak barrels bring. They help to deliver that delicious, creamy complexity for which Franciscan Chardonnay is known. But Chardonnay also needs a foundation, a structure, for all that richness and fruit. Minerality is essential. So we turn to cooler vineyards in southern Napa Valley, in particular from the Carneros District where the soil is dense clay. The result is grapes that offer impressive structure and mineral fl air. – Janet Myers, WinemakerGrowing Season 2014 was another year of low rainfall and warm temperatures in Napa Valley, which once again resulted in an early harvest with excellent flavor intensity and beautiful ripeness in the fruit. The winter started off very dry with no rain in December, January, or February. In late March and early April, we received a good dose of rain that started the vines growing with ample water in the root zone. Throughout most of the growing season, conditions were textbook normal for fruit set and ripening, which gave us an abundance of high-quality grapes. Chardonnay harvest began August 26 and was completed September 20, comprising three weeks of pressing juice with a spectrum of delicious flavors and aromas.Fermentation Barrel fermented Aging Seven months sur lie in small French and American oak barrels; 16% new oak – Franciscan Estate