Tolosa Winery Chardonnay Edna Valley No-Oak Chardonnay 2005

Winemaker's Notes:

1772 2005 Tolosa Select ChardonnayVarietal Composition: 100% ChardonnayAppellation: Edna Valley AVAProduction: 465 Six-packsVineyard Information The 2005 Chardonnay crop was larger in yield, but ripened easily and evenly. This wine was made from the Dijon clone, both #76 and #96 from vineyard blocks 584, 589, and 599. Block 589 sits in a small bowl and is unique due to its light sandy soil, while block 599 is less than two acres and has a rocky soil. The third block 584 is on a North-facing slope where the fruit receives balanced sunlight for ripening. For an optimal Chardonnay we combine grapes from the best soil profiles and clones in the vineyard, which these three blocks justify.Winemaking & Cellar InformationThe winemaking style for this wine is characterized as classic French Burgundy. When pressing of the grapes, we used the first 80% of the juice. We then fermented the juice in French oak barrels from selected cooperages, with 25-30% new oak. A mix of native yeast was used to ferment; in general weaker yeast such as Montrachet is used in the mix. Malo-lactic fermentation occurred in half of the lots of this blend, which is encouraged by stirring the lees through the winter and spring. In the summer barrels that were showing the exceptional flavor and aromas were blended together for six months of tank aging on the lees, before being bottled in their second winter.Analytical Information Alcohol 13.8%T.A. 6.68 g/LpH 3.46Brix at Harvest 23.4-24.2Winemaker Tasting NotesThe color is light gold, with layered aromas. There are the expected tones of nougat, honey, and hazelnut that define our reserve Chardonnay, but there is also an intriguing citrus tone that jumps around between lime and orange zest.