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Previously available only to restaurants. However, the public has spoken, and Ancien has heard your voice! Full case sales only, please. Perfect for week nights with dinner at home.
About the Vineyard...
Our Chardonnay owes it style, depth,
and structure to intensely flavored, low yielding, heirloom clones
growing in two Carneros vineyards: on the Napa side, the Toyon Farm and
on the Sonoma side, the Sangiacomo family’s Vella Ranch. We
hand-selected the cuttings ourselves, from older vineyards in the
Carneros area. These cuttings are reputed to have origins tracing to
Paul Masson who imported them from Burgundy in the early 1940’s, from
none other than Louis Latour's renowned Corton Charlemagne vineyard.
These selections are often referred to as “Old Wente” or “Robert
Young,” denoting the sourced mother blocks in the 1960s.
About the Vintage...
The weather in 2007 remained cool and steady throughout August and
September, allowing the grapes to achieve optimal ripeness levels
without sacrificing acidity, resulting in wines that come close to that
difficult to realize platonic point of balance between power and grace,
depth and vivacity. Our Chardonnay, as usual, came in after much of
our Pinot Noir, with intense flavors and a high, balanced acidity.
This combination has yielded a Chardonnay with tremendous structure and
power, and a promise of even greater complexity with time in the
bottle. In light of this, we opted to hold this wine until September
2009 before releasing it for sale, giving it an extra five months in
the bottle and allowing it to reveal more of the complexity and nuance
that makes this a truly memorable Chardonnay, worthy of any table.
About the Wine...
We aspire to guide our Chardonnay toward a layered, complex, and
expressive style that develops gracefully in the bottle and shows
enticing minerality, vivacious fruit, length and structure. For us, the
watchword is balance. We gently pressed the grapes as whole clusters,
settled and fermented entirely in French oak from three different
coopers, chosen for their unique synergism and support of the fruit on
the palate. Nearly half of the barrels were new. We used a variety of
yeasts, including native strains, and fermentation proceeded evenly and
slowly, averaging a cool 55°F. The wine was aged on its yeast lees,
which were stirred weekly through May. 584 cases produced.
Tasting Notes...
Power, opulent and layered fruit:melon, clementine, nectarine, yellow
peach, figs, key lime, and lemon cream aromas are layered above
brioche, cloves, cardamon, and crème brulleé. Powerful, ripe apple,
pear, and citrus flavors coupled with minerality and lush textures of
fruit tannins and lees present a palate that is both mouth-filling and
lengthy. The fruit flavors and rich textures continue through the
finish, uplifted by bright citrus notes and acidity. As the finish
lingers, the wine strikes a compelling balance between texture,
minerality, and acidity.
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