Toasted Head Chardonnay

100% Chardonnay

California

2012

Winemaker’s Notes

We named Toasted Head for the age-old practice of toasting the inside of barrel heads with fire to help create the rich toasty flavor in all our wines.

V I N E Y A R D S

Most of the fruit (89%) comes from our estate in the Dunnigan Hills, with the balance of fruit harvested from notable vineyards in Mendocino County. Located 20 miles due east of the Napa Valley, the Dunnigan Hills boast warm days that pave the way for full ripeness in our Chardonnay (and those lush fruit flavors we’re famous for), while cool breezes at night from the nearby Sacramento Delta and San Francisco Bay keep natural acidity levels high.

V I N T A G E

An ideal growing season assured an outstanding 2012 vintage in California. Moderate weather throughout the season put little pressure on the vines, providing well-balanced, rich, robust fruit flavors.

W I N E M A K I N G

We picked the grapes for this wine during the night to preserve freshness and purity of fruit flavors, then gently destemmed and pressed at the winery. We then fermented 100% of the juice in a combination of new and used American (55%), Eastern European (25%) and French (20%) oak barrels. We put less than 10% of the wine through a secondary malolactic fermentation to make sure that the wine retained its natural acidity, and we hand-stirred each barrel every two weeks for optimal flavors and to impart a rich, creamy texture to the wine.

W I N E M A K E R S N O T E S

This brilliant, golden-straw-colored Chardonnay has distinctive oak flavors paired with robust fruit reminiscent of white peach and Asian pear.  It’s a rich, crisp wine with great acidity to be easily paired with foods. Barrel fermentation and aging is obvious in the wine, with nice weight and roundness and a nicely developed toasty finish. Pairs well with poultry, seafood in lemon butter sauce, or rich creamy pastas.

WineChump Notes

After a spate of reds, we’ve recently begun going through the collection of whites that we have on-hand.  This Chardonnay, a steal under $10, has a nice kiss of oak and a bit of pear.  Quite nice.

Average Price: $9.99 (if available)