
PHILOSOPHY
Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay is the definitive expression of
Chardonnay from our 42-acre home estate. Only the finest barrels
from fully barrel fermented lots are included. Our goal is to craft a
consistent expression of our distinctive terroir through a wine that is
elegant, complex, balanced, and age worthy.
2005 GROWING SEASON
2005 was one of the coolest and latest seasons in recent memory, which meant an excellent vintage for the more elegant, crisp and balanced style that Lynmar is known for. The skill of our vineyard team combined with a bit of luck to help us avoid losses during early rains that decimated neighboring vineyards during flowering. Grapes ripened gradually and evenly through the rest of the season, without late season heat spikes that have challenged North Coast winemakers recently. Night and early morning harvesting, with multiple passes where needed, helped us bring in fruit of exceptional quality with uncommonly high natural acidity, ripe tannins and great flavor maturity. 2005 is regarded as one of best Russian River Valley Chardonnay vintages in recent memory.
THE WINEMAKING
All fruit was hand-harvested at night or early morning and transported to the winery while still cool, then hand-sorted and gently whole-cluster pressed. Juice was only lightly settled before transfer to a combination of new and used 60-gallon French oak barrels. Primary fermentations with mostly native yeasts lasted 6 to 12 weeks, with subsequent malolactic fermentations (“ML”) lasting anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months. Lees were stirred weekly through ML, which contributed richness and body to the wine. This vintage saw 100% ML, yet it retains excellent acidity. Barrel coopers for this vintage were Latour, Mercurey, Francois Freres, Seguin-Moreau and Rousseau. After 14 months in barrel on original lees, the selected barrels were racked into stainless steel tanks for further settling before bottling. The primary lots for this blend came from our “New” block (15-year old Rued selection, also known as Musqué clone.)
TASTING NOTES
While this bottling shares many characteristics with the 2004, the combination of a great vintage, improved vine health and careful farming have yielded a notable increase in intensity and nuance. Focused aromas of lemon meringue, cantaloupe, ruby red grapefruit and a hint of lychee dance above the spicier, earthier notes of caraway seed, vanilla bean and baked pears. Bright acidity and minerality are immediately apparent on the palate, framing notes of blood orange, Gravenstein apple, tarragon and papaya. The floral lily note typical of Musqué clone Chardonnay is also present, as are earthy notes of ginger, white chocolate and a hint of fresh bread dough on the finish. The texture is rich but by no means cloying. Drink from late-2007 onwards.
| WINE INFORMATION: | |
| Varietal Composition | 100% Chardonnay, estate grown & bottled |
| Winemaker | Hugh Chappelle |
| Consulting Winemaker | Paul Hobbs |
| Consulting Viticulturist | Greg Adams |
| Aging | 14 mo. in small (60 gal.) French oak barrels (40% new) |
| Cases Produced | 1,480 cases (9L equiv.) |
| Alcohol | 14.3% |
| T.A. | 0.53g per l00ml |
| pH | 3.45 |
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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