2015 Matthiasson "Linda Vista Vineyard" Napa Valley Chardonnay

Notes

2017 James Beard Award nominee Steve Matthiasson has been dedicated to his namesake operation since 2003. From the winery: "For complexity, completeness, and balance, we achieved a diversity of ripeness by harvesting the fruit at five different times during the ripening period. The earlier harvests contributed acidity and minerality, and the later harvests contributed flesh and richness. The earliest pick is incredibly zingy, while the latest pick is nutty and honeyed. Everything was blended together. We whole-cluster pressed all of the grapes, settled in tank for 24 hours, then fermented and aged the wine in neutral barrels. To preserve the high-toned and citrusy notes we kept half the barrels unstirred, and for a touch of creaminess we stirred the other half of the barrels just once. We allowed two-fifths of the barrels to go through malolactic fermentation. The wine was never racked, fined, or cold-stabilized, but since it is partially ML negative it was filtered before bottling."