2008 Hawk Hill Vineyard Chardonnay
Winemaker's Notes
The aromas of nectarines, Meyer lemons, toasted almonds, citrus blossom honey and minerals dominate in this wine. Concentrated flavors of Meyer lemons, cinnamon, passion fruit, honeysuckle and crushed stone linger with a sweet lemon drop finish. The delightfully evenhanded acidity and extended sur-lie barrel aging give this wine plenty of reason to age in your cellar.
—Winemaker Bob Cabral
Scores & Reviews
| Points | Publication | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar | May-June 2010 |
The Vineyard
Hawk Hill Vineyard is located in the southwestern-most corner of the Russian River appellation, on a high point between cool Bodega Bay and slightly warmer Sebastopol. This area is known for prevailing ocean breezes. These breezes warm the land during the winter, bring early bud break and cool the land in the summer, giving extra hang time. This extended hang time produces fruit with high acid levels, and gives great structure and balance to the wine.
Harvest 2008
2008 provided very concentrated, flavorful and high quality wines that are vividly expressive of the vineyards in which they were grown, despite being a difficult year for growing. The combination of numerous springtime frosts and cold rains damaged our buds and clusters, thus resulting in a lighter than average year. During the summer, the vines encountered near-perfect fruit ripening weather characterized by warm and sunny days with exceptionally few heat spikes. Very warm August temperatures quickened ripening, beginning a fast and furious harvest. The decreased yields resulted in very concentrated and extremely high quality wines, with brilliant flavor and phenolic ripening. The wines of 2008 express their distinctive sites and qualities in a very intense and focused manner: this is truly a vintage for the cellars, with great ageing potential for years to come.
Technical Notes
| Barrel Description: | 40% new, 30% 1-year-old, 30% 2-year-old |
|---|---|
| Barrel Aged: | 18 months |
| pH: | 3.29 |
| TA: | 0.65g/100ml |
| Alc.: | 14.9% |
| Release Date: | Fall 2010 |
| Release Price: | $50 |