Beaulieu Vineyard Maestro Collection Chardonnay Ranch No. 9 Carneros 08

Tasting Notes:
Fresh nectarine, peach and yellow apple notes fill the vibrant aromas and flavors of Maestro Collection Chardonnay, Ranch No. 9. Hints of spices, honey and vanilla, from both the vineyard and oak aging, add complexity to the core of fruit expression. Together, our Chardonnay Ranch No. 9 and Chardonnay Ranch No. 8 show how different winemaking techniques influence the style and flavor profiles of Chardonnay. Winemaker Domenica Totty has crafted Chardonnay Ranch No. 9 in a fresh, fruit-driven style, with less oak and malolactic influence than the rich, creamy style of Chardonnay Ranch No. 8. This food-friendly Chardonnay complements many foods, including roast chicken, seafood and creamy pasta dishes.

Vineyard Notes:
We harvest these grapes from our BV Ranch No. 9, which adjoins BV Ranch No. 8 in the Los Carneros American Viticultural Area (AVA). Domenica has selected hillside vineyards for this wine, which have long hours of sunlight and ripen a little earlier than valley-floor sections. The more dense clay soils in these blocks also impact the flavor profile of the wine. Los Carneros, at the southern tip of Napa Valley, is the coolest region of the valley due to the cold marine winds and fog—an ideal climate for Chardonnay. Both Ranch No. 8 and Ranch No. 9 are on the same rootstocks and budded to the same Dijon and Robert Young clones.

Winemaker Notes:
We hand harvest the ripe clusters and immediately bring them to our winery for gentle pressing. Domenica ferments the wine with native yeast to emphasize the vineyard’s personality, with 60 percent in tanks and 40 percent in oak barrels (10 percent new oak). She allows only about one-third of the wine to undergo malolactic (ML) fermentation (with native ML bacteria) to add complexity while maintaining enough malic acid for bright, fresh acidity. The barrel-fermented portion is oak aged for 10 months and then the two components are blended together in proportions deemed to create the most balanced and complex wine.