Cannonball Chardonnay

This wine is rich, sumptuous, Golden Delicious apple, pineapple, and white nectarines, interlaced with baking spices, lemon zest, Key lime cream, white florals, floating into toasted pistachio, brioche and a crisp dry finish. Pair with your favorite ethnic takeout.Yellow apple, bosc pear, pineapple, and Lemondrop fruit lead on the nose and are accented by an underlying current of toasty boulangerie and pastry notes, compliments of French oak aging, and extended time sur lies.Light and crisp on the fore palate with tangy quince, spiced pear, and lemon round out the mid-palate. Earthy floral notes of nasturtium and saffron ground the barrel notes of brown sugar and toffee and revealed an appealing complex of starfruit and sweet hay. Classic apple fruit, vanilla, and meringue notes embellish the finish and an elegant vein of acidity maintains freshness, vibrance, and harmony.The Cannonball style celebrates Chardonnayʼs Burgundian roots and wraps them in an exuberant Californian embrace. We seek to coax a multifaceted expression from our fruit to liberate and express the fruity, spicy, and savory dimensions of the variety. We are partial to Chardonnay clones that are prone to the ʻhens and chicksʼ (millerandage) phenomenon where berries on the same cluster vary considerably in size as we find that such fruit contributes texture and phenolic intrigue to the finished wine. Early morning harvesting, gentle handling, cool fermentation temperatures both in stainless steel and in French oak, monthly lees stirring for mouthfeel and integration of nutty character, mid-cycle cellar blending, and marrying of the final blend for several months prior to bottling are our winemaking signature.