2019 Wayfarer Chardonnay
The Estate

Aromas of star jasmine, white peach, lemon zest and meringue emerge from the glass, along with roasted almond, coconut and baking spice. Graceful and subtle in its richness, this wine has plenty to offer. The dense palate is beautifully balanced with fresh acidity and salinity. An elegant chalky texture lingers on the finish, indicating great aging potential.

We hand-picked each block and delivered firm, cool clusters to the winery before sunrise. After gentle pressing, the wine settled for 24 hours, followed by a carefully monitored racking to French oak barrels, 63% new. Native yeasts slowly guided alcoholic fermentation, with careful batonnage until malolactic fermentation was complete. The wine aged in barrel for 15 months, and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

2019 began with several months of heavy rainfall. Total rainfall for the year was 78 inches, second only to record-setting rainfall in 2017. However, that is where similarities end between the 2017 and 2019 vintages. Chardonnay shoots emerged on March 26th, a full week later than normal. With a warm April, shoot growth advanced quickly, and energy was plentiful in the soil after heavy rainfall in May.

Flowering began in east-facing blocks on June 3rd, quickly followed by the remainder of the Chardonnay over the next five days. Flowering was also a week later than normal, but aligned wonderfully with a change in the weather, as rain clouds gave way to beautiful sunshine in June. The summer of 2019 was full of sunshine, yet temperatures were moderate to cool. The average high temperature through July and August was 81^oF, perfect for gradually ripening the Chardonnay.

In 2019 we were able to be patient with the vines, allowing them to naturally adjust to the energy in the soil on their own.  In drier and warmer vintages, we are more proactive with mowing cover crop, leaf and lateral removal, and irrigating the driest blocks. However, in 2019 we waited until the vines reached their optimal point, then moved in with our canopy work to transition the vines from vegetative growth to fruit maturation. By the time veraison began on August 4th, the vines were tracking only three days later than normal. 40 days later, we picked our first Chardonnay on September 13th, and concluded harvest on October 5th.