2022 Drake Estate Vineyard Chardonnay

Harvest Notes

The 2022 growing season experienced epic drought conditions, with the first half of the calendar year being one of the driest on record. Most of the rainfall came in November and December, saturating the soil, and setting the stage for the early part of the year. With a full soil moisture profile and moderate temperatures in the early spring, bud break started around historical average. Many frost nights ensued, which impacted early season growth and slowed down shoot elongation, creating some unevenness. The cool period in and around flowering further prolonged the flowering cycle and created a wide degree of variability. The unsettled weather in general ranged from cool temperatures to occasional rain showers to a freak hailstorm in early May. The remainder of the season was thankfully moderate, and harvest started on historical average in early August. The key to success in 2022 was the selective thinning of shoots and fruit to reduce the variation, tightening the window of ripening. Due to the complexities of the growing season, the wines show excellent structure and verve, with typical site specificity, and all in all a terrific vintage with aging potential.