2006
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay, Richard Dinner Vineyard
Winemaker's Notes
The Dinner Vineyard has become known for the opulent, golden-hued, chardonnay we produce from its Old Wente clone vines. It is broad-shouldered, dense and viscous in the mouth with a unique, almost smoky quality on the finish. In the 2006 vintage, a spicy nose accompanies a luxuriant palate of fresh pear and ripe Fuji apple with nuanced accents of butterscotch and orange blossom. The finish unfolds effortlessly with notes of hazelnut, flint and crisp minerality that intermingle over a long, silky finish. Alcohol 14.6%
Vineyard
Owner/Manager
Richard Dinner/Joe Votek
Vineyard
Richard Dinner Vineyard
Clones
Old Wente, Robert Young selection
Vineyard Age
Planted in 1981, replanted in 1994
Site
Hillside, northern exposure, Dark brown clay-loam and gravel with strata of volcanic tuft
Yield
1.9 tons/acre
Harvest
Harvest Date
October 19
Harvest Brix
23.7°
Growing Season
2006 was slightly cooler overall than 2005 and began with delayed bud break due to a long, wet spring. The weather warmed in May, continuing through summer and into fall to provide the extended growing season needed for fruit to ripen fully. Harvest began late but was accelerated by mid-harvest rains in early October. Yields on Sonoma Mountain were lower than elsewhere in Sonoma County.
Winemaking
• Hand-harvested grapes
• Whole cluster, direct to press, cold
• Barrel fermented with indigenous yeasts; 5 months to completion
• Concurrent spontaneous malolactic fermentation, 6 months to completion
• Aged 10½ months in French oak barrels; 67% new, sur lies and stirred biweekly
• Unblended, unfined and unfiltered; bottled August 2007
