Vineyard: 99.8% chardonnay, 0.2% aligoté from X Omni Vineyard, hand-picked 9/8/21 and 9/16/21
15 distinct clones of chardonnay, cordon pruned, transitioning towards organic farming. Irrigated.
Extremely rocky Nekia, Gelderman over volcanic basalt. Planted between 2014 and 2016 on rootstock
Vines spaced 3.5×6 between 475’-515’ with slopes between 2-10%
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: Block 5 was hand-picked 9/8/21 and crushed into the press. Multiple fractions were browned in cold steel for 24 hours before 45ppm sulfur addition. Hard press was not sulfured. Ambient yeast fermentation started with pied de cuve in warming steel tanks, then lots were racked with solids to 30% new, 50% once-fill and 20% twice- filled Damy puncheons. Primary completed in the early press fraction in 10 days and ambient malolactic finished in July 2022. No lees stirring. Primary was slower in the middle press fraction, completing in March, and malolactic finished in July 2022. Lees were stirred as needed, two or three times. Hand-picked 9/16/21, Block 4 was crushed and browned in cold steel without sulfur. After ambient fermentation engaged, it was transferred with solids to 100% new Damy puncheons, half of which were chaptalized 0.5%. Ambient primary and malolactic completed in eight weeks, and lees were not stirred. After one year in puncheon, a blend including each lot was made in steel of 60% Block 5 and 40% Block 4, from 60% new, 25% once filled and 15% twice filled puncheons. After six months in steel, the 2021 X Omni Vineyard Chardonnay will be bottled 2/28/23 under DIAM 10 cork. No fining or filtration.