In 2021 we again were denied the fabled Bazanno fruit we were so fortunate to get from Farmer Joe Valera in 2019.  Adding to our disappointment, the Fidelis fruit we got in 2020 was also unavailable.  Nevertheless, Farmer Joe Valera delivered us some fantastic fruit from a cool swath of the Petaluma Gap, which was reminiscent of the Bazanno fruit from 2019; harvested in early October with modest sugar and generous acidity. 

We attended to this beautiful fruit with intensive care.  We added 2g Lallezyme Cuvee' Blanc / 100 kg to the press to release more juice and aromatics.  Unlike in years past, the pH of the juice jumped significantly between 0.6 and 0.8 bar of press pressure, so we made the press cut at 0.6 bar.  The <0.6 bar fraction was fermented in a temperature controlled stainless steel tank.  The harder press fractions, from 0.6 to 1.6 bar, were collected in a separate tank and cold settled, before being racked to mostly neutral French oak barrels.  Because of the big pH and Brix jumps, we made a moderate addition of 1 g tartaric acid / Liter, and watered back to achieve a final alcohol of 13.4% instead of what would have been 15%.  The barrels were inoculated with Renaissance Ossia yeast, an organically produced yeast with gentle fermentation kinetics and a predisposition not to produce any H2S.  Malolactic conversion was accomplished with Christian Hansen’s CiNe to minimize buttery notes.  The wine was aged sur lie with batonnage performed every 3 weeks for 19 months to soften the phenolics extracted from the high press pressure and the barrels.  After 22 total months of aging we sterile bottled this very special reserve Chardonnay. 

Cheers! 

Danny