range from citrus and tropical fruit flavors to lovely, more subtle stone fruits, like peach and nectarine. At Saintsbury, the Chardonnay is fermented in French oak barrels and aged sur lie for about eight months. Thirty percent of these barrels are new; the balance has been used once or twice before. During the aging process, the barrels are stirred (batonnage) to increase yeast contact for added richness. The wine also completes malolactic fermentation in the barrel, which can add roundness to the mouthfeel and complexity to the aroma. Saintsbury has asked the question to filter or not to filter Chardonnay since the 1992 vintage. Following the success of a small unfiltered bottling of the 1993 vintage, we have chosen to bottle each subsequent vintage without filtration. The wines show much more vibrant fruit character and rich mouthfeel, particularly in the first year of release, than their filtered predecessors. The 2001 vintage was no disappointment after the superior 2000. This vintage has brighter fruit, is fresh and lively with similar weight as the 2000, and while enjoyable now, will benefit from cellaring.
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