Vineyard: 100% chardonnay from Durant Vineyard, hand-picked 8/30/21
Non-irrigated, sustainably farmed Dijon 76
Jory silty clay loam soil over volcanic basalt. Planted in 1999/2000 on rootstock
Vines spaced 4×9, facing east around 400’ on a gentle slope
Vintage: Bud break occurred during a warm week in mid-April, and May was warm and dry. After an early start to bloom, the second week of June brought cooler, breezy, and humid weather, with 1.25 inches of rain. Flowering finished closer to average timing in the second and third weeks of June. At the end of the month, a strong high- pressure system trapped extreme heat in the valley for three days, causing daytime highs to reach 115F and causing the vines to shut down. July was seasonably warm and dry, with the heat intensifying towards the end of the month. Early August was hot and dry, reaching a peak of 105 F in the second week before cooling off towards the end of the month. September was a very pleasant month, with warm days, cool evenings, and just enough precipitation. I began picking in the Dundee Hills on August 30th and I finished in the Eola-Amity Hills on September 22nd.
Vinification: Hand-picked 8/30/21 and crushed into the press. The heart of the must was browned in a cold stainless-steel tank for 20 hours before a 45ppm sulfur addition. The hard press was not sulfured. Ambient yeast fermentations started with pied de cuve in warming stainless-steel tank before being transferred with solids to a mix of new, third fill and old 114L, 228L, 265L, and 350L Damy barrels and puncheon. Primary fermentation completed in 4 weeks, and lees were not stirred. Ambient malolactic finished in December 2021 and February 2022. After one year in oak, the best blend of Durant was made in stainless steel from 27% new, 47% third fill, and 26% old barrels with fine lees. After six months in steel, the 2021 Durant Vineyard Chardonnay will be bottled 2/28/23 under DIAM 10 cork. No fining or filtration