Festival ’34 2007 Chardonnay / Central Coast

Background

The 2007 vintage produced wines of excellent quality. The winter months were a mix of cold weather and rain, which was well below average this year. Spring and early summer provided ideal growing conditions, and maturity moved along at a leisurely pace. A short heat spell in August gave good flavor development that the winemaker was looking for to complement natural acidity in the grapes, and temperatures moderated into harvest producing exceptionally balanced wines.

When crafting this wine, the winemaking team selected bright Chardonnay fruit from the Santa Barbara vineyards, where the cool breezes and fog from the Pacific Ocean provide ideal maritime conditions for growing Chardonnay.

In order to highlight the beautiful coastal fruit characteristics, the winemaking team chose primarily stainless steel fermentation with about a third of the wine being barrel fermented. Only a small portion of the wine went through malolactic fermentation giving it some body and creaminess while preserving the bright fruit characteristics.

Festival ’34 2007 Chardonnay / Central Coast

A cool, dry winter, moderate spring, and heat spike in August lead to very nice fruit development. Swirl a glass to enjoy the ripe fruit aromas of pear, apple, and lemon accented with a kiss of vanilla. Quite crisp and firm, citrus notes and apple envelop the palate building to a vanilla finish. This is a very nice wine to open before dinner. Paired with a crab appetizer or fresh mozzarella it can be even better.

Score: 86