Vineyard Notes: 100% Willamette Valley Chardonnay from The Eyrie Vineyards picked on 9/19/20
Organically farmed, non-irrigated 1968-planted Draper selection, hailing from European plant material brought to Draper Ranch, Napa Valley in the 1930’s
Planted in pure Jory silty clay loam soils over volcanic basalt in 1968 on own-roots
Vines spaced 9×5, facing south between 350’-375’ on a 9% slope
Vinification Notes: Crushed into the press, the juice was allowed to brown for 12 hours before being sulfured. No press cuts were made before a maximum juice yield was reached. After 24 hours of settling, the juice was racked off solids into a new stainless tank. Once ambient yeast fermentation started, the must was racked into 100% new oak and chaptalized 0.5%. It was bone dry in less than 10 days and malolactic engaged, completing in late December. Eyrie aged for 11.5 months in 100% new oak from a 265L Damy Allier Long Light barrel before being racked off lees into steel for a second winter. Cold stabilized outdoors in early 2022 and bottled unfiltered on February 11, 2022. Closed with the highest quality 54x25mm ‘Flor’ Aquitaine Liege punch cork.
Tasting Notes: Bursting with rich, regal scents, aromas of brûlèed ginger, mandarin honey, Meyer lemon curd and layered with hazelnut butter, chestnut paste, cereal dust with a flourishing of oolong. Golden, savory and sweet flavors are studded with brilliant acidity and a sweeping, seamless texture is both dense and weightless, stretching out long.