2005 CHARDONNAY CLOS
PEPE
Santa Rita Hills
Despite vintage variability
and the vagaries of the winemaking process there is a fabulous
elegance that this wine exhibits year after year. In 2005 the
acidity level of these chardonnay grapes was extremely high, and
we struggled to get the wine to complete the acidity-softening
malo-lactic fermentation. We stirred the lees at the bottom of
the barrels twice a month for over a year to encourage this secondary
fermentation. This difficult fermentation marked the wine with
a delightful aroma of toasted bread and a lovely golden color,
but it still emphatically says Clos Pepe chardonnay !
The combination of a cool
climate site and the Pepe's selection of the less commonly available
chardonnay clone 76 makes this quite different from a typical
California chardonnay. There is none of the tropical fruity thing
going on-it is so much more refined and serious. One wine taster
who visited us described it as "grown-up chardonnay"-- I think
that description is just right.