
PHILOSOPHY
Lynmar Estate celebrates the distinctive terroir of the various vineyards we farm, creating wines that are elegant, complex, balanced and age worthy. Our winemaking team takes great care to craft wines that truly represent the dynamic, cool-climate soils from the vineyards where the grapes are grown. On our Russian River Valley estate, you will find a genuine mosaic of the land, the people, the food and the unique synergy of place that is the Russian River Valley. An integral part of that mosaic has always been the variety of clonal selections available to the winemaker. The Wente Clone has shown unique texture and weight characteristics which led us to create a wine that could appropriately highlight the clone.
2007 GROWING SEASON
By almost any measure the 2007 vintage looks absolutely fantastic, particularly in the coolest areas of Russian River Valley and the Sonoma Coast. Alongside the outstanding Pinot Noir fruit, there are numerous standouts amongst our many Chardonnay and Syrah vineyards. The growing season was a nearly perfect, with a relatively cool, mild summer and minimal late-season heat spikes. Though a few mid-harvest rain showers caused some concerns and accelerated picking in our latest ripening sites, these locations ultimately yielded many outstanding lots. The defining quality of 2007 will be that rare combination of intensity and balance. With exceptionally small berry size across most locations, Chardonnay yielded wines of uncommon concentration and structure. This is a vintage where you will see many wines with both power and finesse.
WINEMAKING
The Wente Clone Chardonnay fruit was sourced from two small vineyards: Dutton Mill Station (Green Valley/Russian River Valley) and Starr Vineyard (Russian River Valley). Hand harvested at night, the grapes were transported to the winery while still cool, then hand-sorted and gently whole-cluster pressed. After minimal settling, the juice was transferred to French oak (45% new). Primary fermentation with mostly native yeasts lasted 6 to 12 weeks, with subsequent malolactic fermentation (ML) lasting 6 weeks to 6 months, with lees stirred weekly throughout. Though this wine underwent 100% ML, it retains a lovely crisp acidity. Barrels for this wine were all 3-year air dried extra tight grain from the center of France, ordered with low to medium toast levels.
TASTING NOTES
In the glass, this Chardonnay displays a clear, deep yellow hue with notable brilliance. Creamy lemon meringue dominates a particularly complex nose; look for an appealing mélange of aromas that include light vanilla, toasted nut, baked golden delicious apple, butter toffee and citrus-laced brioche. The creamy lemon pie quality continues on the palate, juxtaposed by light spice notes and a flinty, mineral impression. The Wente Clone is best known for its texture, density and weight – giving this wine a rich, mouth filling presence on a long, lingering finish. Though this is our first vintage of this release, we expect the wine to reward cellaring through 2013-2014.
Wine Information
Varietal Composition:
100% Chardonnay
Aging
14 mo. in 60 gal. French oak barrels (45% new)
Alcohol: 14.4%
pH: 3.44
T.A.: .69g/100ml
Winemaker:
Hugh Chappelle
Consulting Winemaker:
Paul Hobbs
Consulting Viticulturist:
Greg Adams
Cases Produced:
880 (6x750ml)
Bottling Date: January 9, 2009
Suggested Retail Price: $35
Other products in the category Wines:
2007 Jenkins Vineyard Pinot Noir -- Aromas truly leap from the glass and immediately captivate, with primary notes of cherry and raspberry, accented with both red and dark fruit elements. There is also is a deft touch of toasty oak which adds spice and complexity, but in no way competes wit
2006 Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay -- Appearance is bright yellow-green gold and leads into a complex nose of toast, peaches & cream, bread, acacia, and hazelnuts. The aromas are fresh and compelling with noticeable intensity and focus. The palate is full bodied and rich yet elegant
2006 Quail Hill Vineyard, Bliss Block Pinot Noir -- Our “Bliss Block” Pinot Noir is from a unique part of the estate and in one of the coolest pockets of the property. From the very beginning this vineyard block gave us wines of a highly distinctive and individualistic quality
2006 Quail Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir -- What we have in this wine is taut highly aromatic expression of our estate vineyard where elegance, balance, and structure are all seamlessly interwoven. The texture here is still youthfully firm but with a vibrant energy
Quail Hill Chardonnay Vertical -- 2004 - 2006 Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay
2004 Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay -- The flavors are complex and subtle, revealing bright key lime, verbena and Gravenstein apple notes, balanced by ginger, clove and a briny minerality.
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