Chardonnay, Soberanes Vineyard- 2010

Santa Lucia Highlands’ two most renowned growers, Gary Pisoni and Gary Franscioni, have joined forces on an exciting new vineyard located just south of the celebrated Garys’ Vineyard in the heart of the Santa Lucia Highlands. It is called Soberanes Vineyard. We at Bernardus are honored to be among the few wineries to receive both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from this exciting new “crown jewel” of the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation.

2010 is our first release from Soberanes. We have chosen a block of the highly-regarded Wente clone for our bottling. The meticulous care given to the vineyard is immediately evident in the quality of our first vintage.

The aromas are of ripe citrus fruits and baked green apple, accented by floral notes and fresh butter. The palate is highly focused and intense with flavors of candied citrus fruits, caramel, toasty oak and mineral, supported by a crisp, refreshing acidity.

Picking date: October 16th, 2010.

Appellation: Santa Lucia Highlands.

Fermentation: All our Chardonnays are fermented and aged in the Burgundian tradition. The grapes are hand picked and sorted for quality before being gently whole-cluster pressed and fermented using a variety of specially selected yeasts. All our Chards undergo a complete malo-lactic fermentation to enhance richness and complexity. In addition, each barrel has been hand stirred every two weeks until shortly before blending and bottling.

Cooperage: 100% French: Sirugue, Damy, Billon and Dargaud & Jaegle.

Bottling:
August 18th, 2011

Case Production:
197 cs. (750 mls.)