Vineyard: 100% Chardonnay from Witness Tree Vineyard, hand-picked 9/7/23. From a 1.52-acre block of 2019-planted mixed clones on 101-14 rootstock near the top of the vineyard: 45% FPS 87, 45% Dijon 76, 5% Dijon 96 and 5% Dijon 548. Jory over volcanic basalt. Vines are spaced 3.28x6, facing southeast between 600’-680’ with 20-30% slopes. Farming practices are transitioning to organic, all products are OMRI approved, no herbicides are used.

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: Witness Tree was hand-picked 9/7/23, the upper half and lower half bins separately crushed and press. I split the must from two long pressings into three tanks: the first and middle stages of the upper vines browned 24 hours before 60ppm SO2. The first and middle stages of the lower vines browned 6 hours before 60ppm SO2. The later stages of both pressings were blended and was sulfured in tank after fermentation began. Ambient yeast fermentation started with pied de cuve in steel before lots were transferred with full solids to 22% new 265L barrel, 39% once filled 500L puncheon and 39% twice filled 500L puncheon. Half the lot was chaptalized 0.5%. Primary completed in 20-30 days and malolactic finished in November and December 2023, except one puncheon that finished in August 2024. After one year in oak, an equal blend of the upper and lower pressings from 53% new barrel and 47% once filled puncheon was made in steel. The 2023 Witness Tree Vineyard Chardonnay aged an additional six months in steel on lees. Closed with 49mm DIAM 10. Unfined/unfiltered.

Chemistry: 6.4 g/L TA | 3.19 pH | 12.5% | 0.6g/L RS | 0.39 g/L VA | >.1 g/L malic | ~40ppm SO2 (free)