2003
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay, Walker Station Vineyard
Winemaker's Notes
Walker Station Vineyard produces our most limited chardonnay, available exclusively to the mailing list and a few handpicked restaurants around the country. Tropical floral notes and lemon zest on the nose lead to an elegant, structured palate of yellow and green apple layered with hints of almond, mandarin orange and yeasty bread. A touch of white pepper marks a racy finish. Alcohol 14.6%
Vineyard
Owner/Manager
Walker Family/Harry Walker
Vineyard
Walker Station Vineyard
Clones
Old Wente selection, small cluster selection
Vineyard Age
21 years
Site
Southwestern exposure, Blucher gravelly clay loam
Yield
Less than 1 ton/acre
Harvest
Harvest Date
October 23, 2003
Harvest Brix
25.0°
Growing Season
The Russian River Valley experienced unusual cooling and warming trends throughout the growing season of 2003, calling for meticulous work in the vineyard from spring to fall. Careful attention to the vines, combined with generous amounts of sunlight over the long days of summer, reaped fruit of complexity and intensity.
Winemaking
Hand-harvested grapes
Whole cluster press, cold
Barrel fermented with indigenous yeasts; 10 months to completion
Concurrent native malolactic fermentation in barrels; 8 months to completion
Barrel aged 15 months, 75% new French oak, sur lies and stirred
Unblended, unfined and unfiltered; Bottled January 2004
