2023 Unoaked Chardonnay

The 2023 Unoaked Chardonnay is a lovely expression of our estate-grown Wente and Chardonnay Musqué clones. The wine boasts aromas of lemon blossoms and freshly cut crisp pear. Flavors of ripe honeydew and Sur lie aging bring lovely texture to this deliberate expression of Chardonnay.

The 2023 growing season packed a few surprises with early frost and an abbreviated winter contributing to lower yields across Sonoma County. A Labor Day heat wave and September showers condensed the window of harvest by a few weeks. Overall, the quality of the fruit was extremely high across both estate vineyards, as lower yields resulted in concentrated flavors and even phenolic ripeness across blocks. The 2023 vintage promises many age-worthy wines. Bricoleur Vineyard’s Chardonnay comes from the estate vineyard in the Russian River Valley. The Unoaked Chardonnay is comprised of the Wente and Chardonnay Musque clones. The Chardonnay consistently yields small, densely flavored clusters. In the vineyard we remove leaves on the morning sun side as the berries begin to swell to encourage flavor development and the distinct richness in the wine.

The hand-picked Chardonnay was carefully night harvested when the fruit reached maturity, offering distinct varietal flavors and wonderful acidity. The grapes were whole cluster pressed and the resulting juice settled for 2 days in a chilled stainless-steel tank. Fermentation began in tank before being transferred to neutral 75-gallon stainless-steel drums where it finished fermentation and aged sur lie for 6 months

Seafood tower, goat cheese, asparagus