Chardonnay, Edward James Estate

Growing Season

A dry winter started the season with less than half the regions average rainfall leading to a mild spring and early season bud break. Summer began with relatively moderate temperatures resulting in exceptional phenolic development, allowing fruit to ripen and mature slowly on the vine. Consecutive heat spells coupled with a rare mid-August lightning storm accelerated the start of harvest two weeks earlier than average. All fruit was hand-harvested within seven weeks, and although challenging on many fronts, our highly skilled team persevered at every stage and excelled in their meticulous picking, sorting, and barrel selections. While some wines will not be produced as they did not meet our standards for quality, those that were are in very small quantities, ensuring the limited remaining bottlings showcase their full character with great energy, depth of flavor, and focus.