Goldschmidt Singing Tree Russian River Chardonnay

The rolling hills and gentle slopes near the town of Sebastopol were once home to apple orchards filled with songbirds. By the early 1990’s though, most of the orchards were replanted with grapes. The factors that define a quality Chardonnay vineyard are numerous, but Nick Goldschmidt believes matching varietal and rootstock to the right vineyard site yields the most flavorful grapes. High quality grapes grow only under certain optimum soil conditions, including a balance of nutrients within certain clays. These clay minerals play a critical role, as they can retain water and act as harbors for nutrients better than other soil types. Clays that offer slow nutrient transfer to grape vine plants are preferred.Shortly after harvest, ribbons of birds swarm acrobatically above Sonoma County and feast on the last of the fallen grapes. At dusk, they settle into the trees that surround the vineyard, and in that moment, the trees sing. This Chardonnay croons intensely beautiful, bright melodic notes of pear, melon with good brightness.