2004 CHARDONNAY CLOS
PEPE
Santa Rita Hills
Each year I've been enthusiastic
about the chardonnay we make from this vineyard. It seems as though
the combination of soil type, clone and climate at Clos Pepe are
a winning combination. And what is even more exciting is how these
wines have aged. The 1999 was our first vintage and it is still
going strong and becoming increasingly interesting.
In 2004 we continue our trend to emphasize the distinctiveness
of this Santa Rita Hills vineyard by using light-handed winemaking
techniques. This wine continues to be all barrel fermented and
aged, but we now use almost exclusively older barrels that do
not impart much oak flavor to the wine. The result is a fresher,
livelier, more food-friendly wine. I know I've been saying the
same thing every year now, but the 2004 is truly our most successful
effort to date with Clos Pepe chardonnay.