Quilt Chardonnay Napa Valley

As harvest approaches, we regularly assessed sugar levels, acidity and pH to determine when the Chardonnay fruit for Quilt was ready to be picked. But more importantly, we waited for phenolic/physiological maturity. We wanted autumn to set in, with hard, brown seeds, copper canes, and yellowing of the canopy and a slight tan to the golden clusters. This gave us the assurance that we would have no green tones in the wine and that this Chardonnay would be opulent and showy. Once in the cellar, we whole-cluster pressed in a bladder press. The free run juice settled for 48 hours at which point we racked off heavy lees and barrel-fermented the wine in 59-gallon French oak barrels (70% new, 30% seasoned) for 15 months. The wine underwent 100% malolactic fermentation while still on the lees to achieve additional creaminess and complexity.