2022 Skycrest Vineyard, Anderson Valley Chardonnay

VINIFICATION: 2.3 tons hand-harvested on Oct 5th. Chardonnay clones 4 + 72 (Wente) fermented separately on native yeasts in neutral barriques & 600L puncheons. The wine completed a spontaneous malolactic fermentation, and was aged in barrel for 10 mos Racked to steel for an additional 6 mos of anaerobic aging. Bottled unfined/unfiltered.

SITE: This elusive vineyard is pitched along a series of ridge lines at 2500' in the bucolic Anderson Valley, 20mi from the coast. Its tough mountainous soils range from grey shale to decomposed sandstone with veins of quartz crystal. The clonal material differs by block—this wine is a blend of clone 72, planted in 2011, and clone 4, planted in 2006. This eastern edge of the valley is subject to extreme temperature swings, late flowering, and naturally low yields.

NOTES: From the western end of this craggy ridge, we bottled 10-vintages of Demuth Vineyard chardonnay...until those old vines were torn out. From the eastern end of it, we discovered another kingdom of chardonnay by the name of Skycrest. At 2500’, it's the Anderson Valley's highest elevation vineyard. Pushing out of fractured grey shale and decomposed sandstone with veins of quartz crystal, it’s constantly in the wind, making the berries small and the yields low. With some airing this 2022 SKY starts to hum—loquat, pomelo, geranium, lemon curd, sesame, and rosemary. Enjoy with some fried clams, or a rockfish sandwich.