2006 Finch Hollow Chardonnay
94 points - Gold Medal, Exceptional Beverage Testing Institute
Year after year we are impressed with the Chardonnay from the Finch Hollow vineyard - the 2006 vintage was no different. Harvest only took one day in late October and we were pleased to see the crop size for 2006 return to previous normal levels. Those familiar with the Finch Hollow vineyard will remember that in the yearly years, the Blackbirds and Finches enjoyed all the grapes prior to our harvesting them. As a result, in 1996 we began bird netting the entire vineyard. With shallow soil and excellent drainage, this plot has a very distinct terroir. To insure these characteristics are beautifully retained, Dimitri Tchelistcheff, our winemaker, barrel fermented this plot of Chardonnay in new French oak and Sur-Lie aged the wine with weekly stirring independent of other plots. The result is a bright, sunshine yellow wine with white floral aromas and ripe mouth-filling fruit - a beautiful wine from an amazing harvest. This wine will continue to age beautifully in ideal cellar conditions through 2011.
