Cakebread Chardonnay Napa Valley 2010

Winemaking

Our Chardonnay fruit was 100% whole-cluster-pressed to minimize astringency from the skins. Two-thirds of the juice was fermented in French oak barrels at cool temperatures to foster a perfect balance of ripe fruit, natural acidity and toasty oak. The remaining third was fermented in stainless steel tanks to enhance the final blend’s fresh fruit character. Approximately 16% of the wine – primarily the higher-acid lots – underwent malolactic fermentation, while 100%, including the stainless-fermented lots, aged in French oak barrels, 32% new, for seven months with frequent hand-stirring of the yeast lees. The result is a luscious, beautifully balanced Chardonnay expressing the very best of Napa Valley.