Produced from the first Chardonnay vines planted high on our Mountain Estate, this wine is named for Fred and Juelle's firstborn daughter, Whitney.
Harvested September 19th and 30th
Juice cold settled over 24 hours and moved to barrel by gravity
Fermented and aged 18 months in French oak barrels (60% new)
No inoculations for primary or secondary fermentation
No sulfite additions during aging
Lees stirred twice monthly for 15 months
Bottled unfined and unfiltered
First planted in 1973 to Old Wente clone Chardonnay, Whitney's Vineyard grows at 1,000 feet elevation on a gravelly, gently sloping, southwestern facing hillside. Owing to its mountain heritage and low-nutrient soils, this site produces tiny clusters of tightly packed ‘hens and chicks’ (berries of wide ranging size) yielding wines that boast brilliant minerality and classic Chardonnay character. This site was replanted in two phases with greater vine density, establishing new vines in 2013 and 2016, all grafted to original clonal material.
Produced from the first Chardonnay vines planted high on our Mountain Estate, this wine is named for Fred and Juelle's firstborn daughter, Whitney.
Harvested September 19th and 30th
Juice cold settled over 24 hours and moved to barrel by gravity
Fermented and aged 18 months in French oak barrels (60% new)
No inoculations for primary or secondary fermentation
No sulfite additions during aging
Lees stirred twice monthly for 15 months
Bottled unfined and unfiltered
Pale straw color in the glass bursting with aromas of candied lemon rind, honeysuckle and toasted almond. This wine reflects the intensity of the site with a generous round palate and flavors of lemon curd, apricot and lightly toasted brioche. The richness of this wine is balanced by wet stone minerality and Asian pear tones, a classic example from one of the first vineyard sites planted on our Mountain Estate.