Hat Trick? Hat Trick Chardonnay is the finest three small lots of Double L Vineyard Chardonnay. Winemaker's Tasting Notes: As the Double L vineyard matures, the wines show more minerality and complexity. Mineral, nuts, nutmeg, lemongrass, tropical fruit and orange blossoms dominate the nose. On the palate, one also notes lemon-lime citrus, vanilla, and a hint of grapefruit. The ripeness of the fruit and the rich texture is a counter point to the streak of acidity, the defining aspect of Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnays. This is an elegant yet powerful wine that displays its elements
read more...with a deft sense of balance. The region's typical flavors are well expressed on the nose and palate with complex mineral notes and integrated acidity. Winemaking Notes: After whole cluster pressing, the wine is 100% barrel fermented in 30% new Burgundy barrels using Montrachet yeasts. It is aged ten months on the lees with weekly stirrings through the 6-week long malo-lactic fermentation, with bottling in August of 2006. Seventy-five percent of the wine underwent malo-lactic fermentation. Primary contributors are Dijon clones 76, 95, 96, with a small amount of Martini clone 4. Vineyard Notes: Morgan Winery's Double L Vineyard is located in the northern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands sub-appellation of Monterey, which runs down the northeast facing slopes of the coastal Santa Lucia range, overlooking the Salinas Valley, beginning about 12 miles south of the Monterey Bay. The vineyard is densely planted with 6 x 5 spacing, (1452/per acre) with the rows aligned on a North-South axis for optimum sun exposure and interception of cool breezes from the Monterey Bay. The strong Salinas Valley winds concentrate flavors by thickening grape skins and slowing down photosynthesis. Grapes typically get 4-5 weeks longer hang time than most California regions. Organically grown fruit produces the clearest expression of terroir. Monterey County Certified Organic, accredited by the USDA, certifies Double L Vineyard as an organic vineyard, the only such one in the appellation. The vineyard has 18 acres of Chardonnay planted with six different clonal selections on five different rootstocks. Soils are sandy loam, deep and well drained, with decomposed granite and traces of limestone. Rainfall averages 15 inches per year. This area's average summertime high of 75 degrees is one of the coolest wine grape growing regions in America during the growing season. Yields are held to under 5 lbs. per vine for maximum flavor concentration. Vintage Notes: The 2004 vintage produced intense, large-scale wines. A cool, damp spring created a modest crop set. The defining weather event was a statewide heat spike over the Labor Day weekend that drove up sugar content. However, temperatures in the Monterey area soon cooled off dramatically, allowing the grapes to return to more normal sugar and acid levels. Harvest began in the first week of September and finished in three weeks. Return to Morgan Wine List
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