2018 Sea Smoke Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills

"Our estate-grown Chardonnay fruit was picked and hand-sorted in the vineyard before spending the night in our cold room. Chilled grapes were softly pressed and the juice was gently pumped into a stainless steel tank and cold settled. Once the heavy solids were removed, the juice was racked to a stainless steel fer- mentor, then inoculated for primary fermentation. Following primary fermentation, the wine was racked to barrels, inoculated for malo- lactic fermentation, then periodically stirred to enhance depth and mouthfeel. The 2018 Sea Smoke Chardonnay was aged for a total of 16 months prior to bottling with no fining and no filtration.

Character: An elegant Chardonnay with aromas of peonies, orange peel and slight key lime. Complemented by honeycomb and a slight nuttiness in the focused mid-palate and the refreshing cool climate acidity of our estate vineyard." -- Winery