Peninsula Cellars 2005 Chardonnay

Vineyard Notes:
This vineyard was planted in 1991. The old gnarly trunks look like trolls springing from the ground. Each year 90% of the plant is pruned out and 25 buds are trained to grow. 2005 was incredibly warm and the fruit ripened perfectly to make a full bodied wine.

Winemaking Notes:
The fruit was destemmed, crushed and pressed over 5 hours to extract all of the flavor from the grapes. The juice was cool fermented in stainless steel. After a three week fermentation the settled yeast was stirred periodically over 8 weeks. The wine was then removed from the yeast to preserve the intense fruity aromas.

Tasting Notes:
We bottled this wine in March because it was so tasty. The honey and citrus aromas hint that this will be a great wine for summer. Ripe acid and strong alcohol balance the fruity palate with a sense of structure. Subtle tones of apple and pear will emerge throughout the summer as well.

Food Pairings:
Serve with cheeses of all kinds. Heavy cream sauce, seafood and grilled chicken will also compliment the wine. Recommended: Grilled trout lightly spiced with paprika and thyme served with a pineapple chutney.

Technical Notes:

Varietal:	100% Chardonnay
Vineyard:	Kroupa Vineyard
Appellation:	Old Mission Peninsula
Harvest Dates:	October 1
Brix at harvest:	22.5
Aging:	100 % Stainless Steel
Bottling date:	March 28, 2006
Alcohol:	13.3%
Titratable Acid:	8 g/L
Residual Sugar:	0.0
pH:	3.34
Cases Produced:	530