1994
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay, Richard Dinner Vineyard
Winemaker's Notes
The 1994 Dinner Vineyard Chardonnay, like its predecessors, uniquely defines the interplay between power and balance. Abundant fruit, sweet, ripe aromas of pear, apple, orange-peel and honey combine lavishly with vanilla, clove, and toasty oak wood. Layered, and lingering on the palate, this meticulously hand-crafted wine complements a wide assortment of richly flavored cuisine or can be enjoyed as an aperitif.
Vineyard
Owner/Manager
Richard Dinner/Joe Votek
Vineyard
Richard Dinner Vineyard
Clones
Old Wente
Vineyard Age
12 years
Site
Hillside, northern exposure, clay-loam with lens of volcanic tuft
Yield
3.7 tons/acre
Harvest
Harvest Date
October 4, 10, and 11, 1994
Harvest Brix
Range: 21.8° - 22.8°
Growing Season
From front to back, the 1994 vintage was stellar; perhaps the best of the last 10 years. With such fine conditions our Dinner Chardonnay took its sweet time to come to full maturity, rewarding us with extraordinary fruit.
Winemaking
Hand-harvested grapes
Whole cluster, direct-to-press
Barrel fermented with indigenous yeast, 6 to 14 weeks to completion
Concurrent spontaneous malolactic fermentation
Barrel aged 9 months, 40% new French oak, sur-lies and stirred
Unblended, unfined, unfiltered; bottled August 1995
