1997
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay, Cuvee Agustina, Richard Dinner Vineyard
Winemaker's Notes
With my first child Agustina Lindsay in mind, my hope is to make a wine that honors the magnificence of nature?s concert with man. The Dinner Vineyard, perched high on the eastern flank of Sonoma Mountain, produces grapes that match these expectations. The resulting wine has a bouquet of honeyed apples and citrus, that displays rich fruit on the palate. The excellent structure promises years of enjoyable drinking. Alcohol 14.3%
Vineyard
Owner/Manager
Caroline and Patricia Dinner/Joe Votek
Vineyard
Richard Dinner Vineyard
Clones
Old Wente
Vineyard Age
15 years
Site
Hillside, northern exposure, gray clay-loam with strata of volcanic tuft
Yield
2.5 tons/acre
Harvest
Harvest Date
September 2, 1997
Harvest Brix
23.6°
Growing Season
Spring conditions were warm and dry leading to an early bud break; moderate Summer temperatures afforded the berries extended time on the vine resulting in optimal maturity.
Winemaking
Hand-harvested grapes
Whole cluster, direct to press
Barrel fermented with indigenous yeast, 6 to 8 months to completion
Concurrent spontaneous malolactic fermentation
Barrel aged 13 months, 92% new French oak, sur-lies and stirred
Unblended, unfined, unfiltered; bottled December 1998
