2017 Wayfarer Chardonnay
The Estate

Tasting Notes

 This pale yellow Chardonnay offers delightful floral aromas of honeysuckle, daphne, and orange blossom, with hints of pastry and Jordan almonds. The palate exhibits hints of citrus and stone fruit, orange marmalade, and touches of toasted almond and caramel. Crisp acidity balances the fruit of this complex, focused wine over a bright finish. Enjoy this wine in its youth or over the next 10 to 15 years while it continues to develop in the bottle.

Winemaking Notes

We handpicked the fruit from each vine and delivered the cool clusters to the winery before sunrise. After gentle pressing, the wine settled for 24 hours, followed by a carefully monitored racking to barrel. We transferred to 79% new French oak from cooperages including Damy, François Frères, and Remond. Native yeasts slowly guided alcoholic fermentation, with careful bâtonnage until malolactic fermentation completion. The wine was aged in barrel for 15 months, upon which it was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

Vintage Notes

2017 saw the largest accumulated rainfall in recent history at Wayfarer; 86 inches in total. Much of that rainfall occurred in January and February, while the vines were dormant. Wayfarer enjoyed moderate temperatures and clear skies through April and leading into May. This allowed for steady growth in the vines and a consistent bloom, beginning the end of May.

June encountered one of the warmer stretches on record for the month. After a very wet winter, this proved to be a nice balance for the vines, helping to dry the wet soils and tame what could have been substantial vigor. The warmth continued through July, and brought the beginning of veraison on August 2nd. This warmth continued throughout August, bringing forth nice texture in the fruit.

Harvest began at Wayfarer on September 6th, with block 6. As harvest continued through September, the temperatures became cooler, allowing the vines to gradually ripen. Not wanting to rush the vines, we patiently waited and wrapped up harvest in early October.

Blocks

Clones

Berlenbach Old Wente, Hyde Old Wente, Mount Eden, Dijon 95