2011 Russian River Valley Chardonnay

Our final vintage of Chardonnay from the Treehouse vineyard in the Russian River Valley is the 2011.  It was an atypically cold summer in the RRV, and in all of California, but the relatively early ripening Chardonnay didn't seem to notice.  We brought in barely one ton on October 4, and the fruit was in perfect shape.  It fermented quickly in barrel, and spent the next 14 months aging on its lees at our winery in San Francisco.

The 2011 AW Russian River Valley Chardonnay starts out with a fragrant nose of peach blossoms and hazelnuts, and is surprisingly ripe on the palate, given the cool vintage.  The long, spicy finish predicts it should be at its best from late 2013 through 2015.

---