After decades of research, working to bottle perfection, we arrive with our second HS Chardonnay. Hail Mary. It’s a game changer.
WINEMAKER JEFF AMES’ NOTEBOOK:
Vineyards: These vineyards are an extension of the man, Larry Hyde. For three decades he has had an intimate relationship with each block and vine and Carneros’s complex terroir. In the process, Larry has built an international reputation as one of the best growers in the world. His research papers on plants (clonal material) are reference points for our industry. He is a humble man, very dry of wit, has a good appetite for excellent food and wine, and likes the company of sincere winemakers and growers.
Winemaking: The 2023 HS Chardonnay is again a blend of the best lots of our Beresini and Hyde vineyard Chardonnays. This shows the best elements of the vineyards with depth from very extended hang time and harmonious notes of the Wente and Calera selection combinations. Both vineyards were kept apart until after numerous blend trials and then racked to tank together for a month before bottling to allow them to integrate. It defines a wine that is more than the sum of its parts.
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes: A wine that is truly a sum of all its parts. Our H.S. Chardonnay is a blend of our best barrels from hallowed ground in Carneros. “Balance” perfectly describes the texture, acidity and length of our smallest production white wine. Incredibly aromatic for Chardonnay, with notes of lemon blossom, brioche, stone fruit and Earl Grey abound. The minerality of petrichor and gun flint compliments the fruit in harmony, with a finish that just keeps on going. We hope you love it as much as we do.
Vintage: The 2023 vintage was similar to the 2018 vintage in how cool it was, how long the vintage was, and how late it started. I have become a bigger fan of these late and cool vintages over the years from the complexity they seem to build into the wines. The key to 2023 was not ‘panic picking’ just because you were so much later in the year than normal and just waiting it all out until you got the ripeness and sugars that the fruit needed to harvest. A great Napa Valley vintage.
