2023 Meyer Family 'Elke Vineyard' Chardonnay

100% Chardonnay. Single Vineyard in Anderson Valley. Barrel fermented. Aged 9 months in 75% Neutral Oak and 25% New French Oak. The grapes were harvested early in the morning and whole bunch pressed into tank. After 48 hours settling the juice was racked into French oak barrels (25% new). The barrels were not inoculated, and 3 days later wild yeast began to noticeably ferment. After about 15 days the barrels were inoculated with malo-lactic bacteria as the ferments finished. The barrels were topped and stirred biweekly until the New Year, then only topped. The wine remained on lees for 6 months. This wine was filtered to allow aging but not fined.

2023 has a large chance of going down as one of the best vintages across the board in the last 20 years in the North Coast of California. This Chardonnay is a first glimpse of that vintage in the bottle and WOW what a showstopper! 2023 wines saw hang time few vintages experience. The cool summer ushered in a developed minerality of wet limestone shouldered up against an intoxicating air of fern grove. Expressive fruit stippled with honeysuckle, lemongrass, and a hint of grandma’s butterscotch; aka Werther’s Original. Has all the elements of a classic California Chard - in an extremely elegant and balanced style. Nothing obvious or over-the-top.