Frostwatch Vineyard
While 2008 was a difficult year from a frost perspective (we
had three nights in early spring when the temperature dipped into the low 20’s), the wines produced from that vintage are turning out to be exceptional. The only down side for this vintage were the tonnage figures because of the frost. Despite our extensive frost protection, the extremely cold springtime temperatures frosted a number of tender shoots and thereby greatly reduced yields. For example, our oldest Chardonnay block normally yields between three and four tons per acre. In 2008 it yielded less than two tons per acre. The silver lining of this fairly dark cloud was that the remaining grapes had tremendous concentration and made truly great wine. Our neighbor, Wells Wagner, from whom we buy old clone Wente Chardonnay grapes, suffered similar hardships, but also benefited from incredibly flavored grapes.
This wine, a blend of those two vineyards, has a bright citrusy nose with a hint of Vanilla, and notes of red apple and custard-like overtones. On the palate, the entry is crisp but transforms into a plush explosion of fruit, finally developing into a lengthy finish with good acidity.
Wine Enthusiast
Wine Spectator
