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2004 Reserve Chardonnay
Sonoma Valley
Estate "Cuvée Natalie"
300 cases
14.8% alcohol
Dijon clones 76, 96 & hillside clone 4
40% new French oak
$45 per bottle
$540 per case
With a very small berry year and intense concentration in the raw material, the wines seemed to lack the need for barrel impact. Most of the new wood went into our estate Chardonnay after 10 months barrel aging. The absolute best new barrels of clones 96, 76 and hillside 4 went into a small stainless tank at this time to complete their aging process in the absence of oak and for clarification. Because the oak program is diminished in this wine, most of the structure comes from natural tannin and a bit of shriveling that occurred during the very hot end of August in 2004. The creaminess that opens the wine came predominantly from one use barrels that had just enough impact left to richen the wine without drying it out. The Dijon clones add the mineral/citrus notes that distinguish Natalie from the estate bottling while the clone 4 adds pure fatness in the way of tropical fruit and vanilla extract.
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2004
Chardonnay
Sonoma Valley
Estate
1217 cases produced
14.7% alcohol
30% new French oak
80% clone 4, 20% Dijon clones
$28 per bottle
$336 per case
Pale gold complexion. Nose of lychee, lemon meringue, vanilla custard and wet river rock. The clone 4 in the blend provides some tropical notes of shredded coconut, banana chips and guava. The dijon clones contribute a citrusy minerality and the smell and texture of the underlying framing acidity. The fruit quality on the palate is hard to pin down, balancing the two ends of the Chardonnay spectrum: sweet and fat and racy and focused. The finish is very clean and long with the abundance of fruit sustained and framed nicely by firm acidity.
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2003 SONA Late-Harvest Chardonnay
Sonoma Valley
Estate
198 cases produced
16.5% alcohol
2.2% residual sugar
neutral French oak
$45 per 500 ml bottle
$540 per case
The only “sweet” wine this winery has ever produced. In homage to our owner, Deepak’s, heritage this golden liquid was dubbed SONA (meaning gold in Hindi). This wine offers rich texture to the palate with subtle hints of oak, butterscotch, citrus and dried apricots. On the finish, the taster is greeted with sweet honey and vanilla characteristics.
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