Vineyard: 100% Chardonnay from Temperance Hill Vineyard, hand-picked 9/21/23

2019-planted Dijon 76 on 101-14 rootstock. Certified organic farming, non-irrigated. Jory silt clay loam soils over volcanic basalt. Vines are spaced 3.5x8 between 700’-750’ in a north-facing bowl with very gentle slopes.

Vintage: The 2023 growing season began cool and wet, with late April bringing warmth and dry conditions. Bud break occurred in early to mid-May, followed by bloom in early to mid-June. Fruit set was typical and the vines thrived over a hot and dry July and August. Cooler days and chilly nights arrived in September, with scattered showers that refreshed the vines. Harvest began leisurely with four picks between 9/6 - 9/11. The pace quickened with eight picks between 9/15 - 9/22. Yields were average, and the overall chemistry was good to great. I crushed each lot into the press and extracted more the later the pick. I browned most of the must 6-24 hours before sulfur addition. Vineyard specific pied de cuve was used to initiate fermentation in steel before transferring the must to oak with full solids. In select lots, I added sulfur after fermentation started. Ambient yeasts were highly effective as most lots were bone dry within 10-25 days. More than half of the cellar completed ambient malolactic in November or December 2023. The remainder finished malolactic between April and July 2024 with much more reduction. The wines were blended in steel the last week of August 2024 for a second winter on lees in steel and racked clean in late January 2025. The 2023 vintage has exceptional pedigree and clear site expression. The wines have high acidity, alcohol ranging 12.4%-13.1%. They are beautifully aromatic, crystalline, coiled, full of dry extract, long and structured.

Vinification: Temperance Hill was hand-picked 9/21/23 and crushed into the press. A long pressing, the must was split into three tanks. The first few stages of the press cycle browned 18 hours in steel before 60ppm SO2; the middle stages of the press cycle browned 36 hours in steel before 20ppm SO2. The hard press was not sulfured. Ambient yeast fermentation started with pied de cuve in steel before the must was transferred with full solids to 53% new 265L barrel and 47% once filled 350L puncheon. Primary completed in 15-25 days. Half the lot finished malolactic in late December 2023, the other half in July and August 2024. After one year in oak, a blend of 53% new 265L barrel and 47% once filled 350L puncheon was made in steel. The 2023 Temperance Hill Vineyard Chardonnay aged an additional six months in steel on lees. Closed with 49mm DIAM 30. Unfined/unfiltered.

Chemistry: 5.85 g/L TA | 3.26 pH | 13% | 0.3g/L RS | 0.41 g/L VA | >.1 g/L malic | ~45ppm SO2 (free)