William Hill Estate : Napa Valley
Wine On Line Rating: A Major
2007 Bench Blend Chardonnay
Astounding example of what California CAN do with this so often maligned grape. Exquisite elegance, finesse, balance, subtle fruit and what a finish. Lovely with anything, from Pea Soup to Sausage to Salmon to Triple Crème Cheese or solo. A Personal favorite.
Varietal Origin: Napa Valley: 100% Weimer Clone from Carneros
Titratable Acidity: 0.56 g/100ml
pH: 3.35
Residual Sugar: 0.55 g/100ml
Alcohol Level: 14.2%
Harvest Dates: September 12, 2008
Wine Tasting Notes
The 2007 Reserve Chardonnay is creamy and complex displaying intense fruit aromas and flavors of white peach and ripe pear. The stone fruit combine with toasty oak, vanilla and coconut notes that extend through the rich, lingering finish.
Viticulture Notes
A dry winter and warm, dry spring initiated an early start to the 2007 growing season. The weather remained fairly mild through the harvest months with the only heat spike occurring in early September. Temperatures cooled throughout the remainder of September which slowed the ripening of certain varietals and set a good pace for the rest of harvest. This allowed winemakers to focus on bringing in and crushing one variety at a time. Many wineries waited until the very end of harvest to pick some of the later-ripening varieties, and were rewarded with a very high quality crop. Overall, the 2007 crop was much smaller and produced lower alcohol levels in the wines than in 2005 and 2006, but quality is exceptional.
Winemaker Notes
The Chardonnay grapes were hand harvested at night and then gently pressed as whole clusters prior to fermentation to maintain varietal aromas and flavors. The must was inoculated with the QA 23 yeast strain to initiate primary fermentation. Grape solids were left in the fermenting juice to add complexity and style. After primary fermentation was complete, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation in barrel in order to enrich the mouthfeel and further add complexity to the finished wine. The Chardonnay wine was aged in new and one-year old French oak barrels. The wine was filtered and fined and bottle aged 6 months prior to release
Wine On Line Rating: A Major
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