1985 Alexander Valley Chardonnay
Winemaker's Notes
It is certain that the 1985 harvest will be remembered as one of California’s finest vintages ever. The growing season, with its warm days and cool nights, was ideal for ripening both white and red varieties of grapes, particularly Chardonnay. Our 1985 “Alexander Valley” Chardonnay is an excellent example. Having achieved full ripeness and physiological maturity at a lower sugar level than usual, the resulting wine has brilliant fruit flavors and a long finish combined with a refinement and elegance reserved only for wines made from “great” vintages.
Tasting Notes
The wine has a bright green-gold color and lots of body in the glass. The nose is redolent with spice and fruit and is backed up by rich, complex Chardonnay flavors of apples and pears. A crisp acidity will assure future development and a bit more bottle aging will make this wine blossom to an imminently appealing and tasty Chardonnay. If you plan to serve the wine soon, we do not recommend serving it too chilled but rather at cellar temperature for maximum enjoyment as the subtle nuances of flavor might be missed. Age this wine for 6 months to 3 years and enjoy one of our best “Alexander Valley” Chardonnays to date.
Bo Barrett, Winemaker
Technical Data:
| Harvest Dates: | Aug. 27 to Sept. 15 |
| Bottling Date: | August 1986 |
| Release Date: | March 1987 |
| Appellation: | Alexander Valley |
| Time in Oak: | 6 months |
| Sugar at Harvest: | 22.7° brix |
| Alcohol: | 13.0% |
| Total Acidity: | .87g/100ml |
