2020 Reserve Chardonnay

The 2020 Hill Family Estate Chardonnay is a graceful and elegant wine showing both its cool climate pedigree and the advantage that great sites have on Chardonnay character. We had reasonable weather until late August when we went into a major hot spell. The Watson and Svien fruit was harvested on August 31 at 23 brix. The Napa Golf Associates was harvested on September 23 at 24 Brix. The wine was barrel fermented with Montrachet and CX9 yeast and then stayed in French oak barrels for nine months. About 20% of the wine went through malolactic fermentation and we continued with battonage every two weeks for three months to increase depth and texture. It was then racked to a stainless steel tank for four weeks for a reductive rest before bottling. The 2020 Reserve Chardonnay has a restrained elegance with subtle aromas of lemon and lime with pie crust and toasty pear. The three vineyards blend seamlessly into a core of lemony acidity and rich viscosity, then the finish gradually drops away, leaving a clean palate.