2002 Camp Meeting Ridge Chardonnay
Tasting Notes
Fresh aromas of lime and delicate honeysuckle. Toasted almond and mineral flavors. Impressive weight on the mid-palate combines with cool climate acids for great length on the finish. Enjoy upon release or cellar for a year or two and watch the flavors develop.
Vineyards
The grapes for this vintage of our estate Chardonnay came from Blocks 1, 3 and 6, our Old Wente Clone selection here on Camp Meeting Ridge. Block 6 is the most rugged, rocky, and least vigorous of all our Chardonnay. It consistently yields a powerful wine of great concentration, depth, and expression of terroir and has historically been an important component of the Camp Meeting Ridge Chardonnay.
Harvest
Early September 2002
Winemaking
Careful hand sorting and whole cluster pressing. Fermentation with indigenous, native yeasts accompanied by regular battonage until the completion of the malolactic fermentation in the spring of 2003. At the end of barrel aging the wine was gently inert gas-racked to tank for settling.
Cooperage and Aging
100% French Oak; 40% new. Composed of 3-year air-dried Francois Freres burgundy barrels (mostly Allier), Remond (mostly Allier), Latour, and ultra-tight grain Seguin-Moreau "Chassagne Montrachet" barrels. The wine was aged sur lies in barrel until just after the 2002 harvest. Total time in barrel = 12 months.
Bottling
March 2004; 465 cases produced.
Final bottling technical information
- pH: 3.59
- TA: 0.61 g/100 ml
- Alcohol: 14.1 %
Release Date:
Fall, 2004