Reviews
This is a brilliant, layered and super well-balanced white that combines this vineyard’s famous creaminess with appetizing minerality and tensioned acidity. Aromas of lemon and lime zest, sea breeze and Bosc pears lead to minerally, flinty flavors of peach skin and kiwis that expand on the palate and linger in the finish. Drink or hold.
Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay 2023
Los Carneros of Napa Valley
Tasting Notes
The 2023 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay expresses a refined, mineral-driven character with bright aromas of lemon zest, white peach, and green apple all accented by delicate floral notes. The palate is focused and elegant, showcasing vibrant citrus and stone fruit framed by a fine line of acidity and a distinct saline minerality. Subtle oak influence adds polish without weight, leading to a long, precise finish that highlights the vineyard’s signature freshness and purity.
Vineyard:
Producing some of the most coveted grapes in Napa Valley, Hyde Vineyard has gained distinction for its single vineyard wines. Hyde Vineyard is blessed with shallow loamy soils that work in conjunction with the cool Carneros climate and the gentle winds to create moderate stress within the vines. The temperature moderating winds off the Pacific Ocean, which are channeled through the Petaluma Gap, are key in allowing for prolonged growing seasons. This extended growing season is vital to the completion of phenolic maturation, bringing both intensity and balance to the wines.
Winemaking:
The handpicked fruit was crushed before being gently pressed, cold settled overnight and then transferred to 50% new 500L French oak puncheons. The wine underwent native fermentation and finished primary just before Thanksgiving and Malolactic fermentation shortly after. The wine was aged on its lees without stirring for 12 months and then transferred to a stainless tank for an additional 4 months of aging for better oak integration before bottling.