Chardonnay
Charles Heintz Vineyard
Located at about 800 feet elevation on Goldridge sandy loam soils and with the cool ocean influence, the Heintz Vineyard’s fruit is a quintessential expression of the Sonoma Coast.
LEMON CURD // APRICOT // APPLE BLOSSOM // FLINT // VIBRANT ACIDITY
Vineyard Notes
This coastal Chardonnay is vibrant, yet it has a richness on the palate. This site is very much influenced by the season and changes year to year. Since 1912, the Heintz family has owned and operated this beautiful site just east of the town of Occidental. Charles Heintz Vineyard is a highly sought-after vineyard for premium wine producers for its quintessential expression of Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. The coastal influence expressed by Clone 4 at this vineyard gives the wine a great acid backbone with a rich palate and a touch of minerality.
Winemaking Notes
I strive to craft Chardonnay that is a seamless balance of aroma, acid, texture, and oak influence. Once the grapes enter the winery, the clusters are hand sorted and then go straight to whole cluster pressing. I barrel ferment the Chardonnay in the cool cellar. This cool fermentation allows to maintain freshness and delicate aromas. Once primary fermentation is complete, the wine will go through malolactic fermentation. On most years, this wine goes almost all the way through malolactic fermentation, however, because of the high levels of acidity from this coastal site, the wine is still vibrant and structured. I age the wine in once used French oak barrels and leave the wine on original lees for as long as possible and in many years, that is more than 12 months. Leaving on lees with minimal stirring allows us to develop complexity and structure. I bottle this wine at anywhere from 16-18 months in barrel.
— Katy Wilson // Proprietor + Winemaker
Vintage Details
- Varietal
- Chardonnay
- Vineyard
- Charles Heintz Vineyard
- Appellation
- Sonoma Coast