1997
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay, Kunde Vineyard Sonoma Valley
Winemaker's Notes
Clear yellow straw, opalescent; honey, orange blossom, crème caramel, pear and apricot, spicy apple aromas; rich mouthful of ripe peaches and pear, smooth and lingering on the finish with a note of vanilla and butterscotch. The vines for these grapes eke out an existence on a small dry-farmed hillside block just above the winery.
Vineyard
Owner/Manager
Kunde Estate Winery/Keith Kunde
Vineyard
Kunde Vineyard
Appellation
Sonoma Valley
Vineyard Age
17 years
Site
Hillside, terraced, south southwestern exposure, red soil (volcanic, shattered rock); elevation, 450 feet
Yield
3.7 tons/acre
Harvest
Harvest Date
September 5 and 9, 1997
Harvest Brix
Range: 23.8-24.6
Growing Season
Earliest bud break this decade, huge fruit set. Vineyard required heavy fruit thinning after set. Warm summer and fall conditions all combined to make 1997 one of the earliest harvests in memory-and one of the best.
Winemaking
Hand-harvested grapes
Whole cluster, direct-to-press
Barrel fermented with indigenous yeast, 4 to 6 months to completion
Concurrent, spontaneous malolactic fermentation
Unblended, unfined, unfiltered; bottled August 1998
