2021 Anniversary Chardonnay
Appellation
Alexander Valley
In 1996, we established a small, artisan winery bearing the Stuhlmuller name, with Kerry Damskey as our first winemaker. To celebrate the 25th Winery Anniversary of our winery, we decided to have Kerry and our current winemaker, Zac Childers, collaborate on a special vineyard designate Chardonnay. For this project, Kerry requested to work with our Block Two Vineyard, planted to the prized “Upper Barn Clone”. These over 30-year-old vines in often produce lower yields, and always have intense signature flavors of Asian pear and spice.
Tasting Notes
Striking a lovely balance between richness and elegance, this Chardonnay offers alluring aromas of citrus, peach, honeycomb, hazelnut, and cashew, with hints of salty sea air. Medium-to full-bodied on the palate, with a lovely underlying texture and spine of acidity that adds focus to the bright citrus and stone fruit flavors. While offering vibrant youthful appeal, it is also a wonderful candidate for the cellar.
In Stock
Appellation
Alexander Valley
Wine Specs
Vintage
2021
Varietal
Chardonnay
Appellation
Alexander Valley
Vineyard Designation
Alexander Valley
Harvest Date
September 2021
Sugar
23.8
Acid
5.6 g/l
pH
3.52
Barrel Aging
19 months in barrel before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Bottled
June 2022
Alcohol %
14.5
Production
In a year best described as a “cold start to a warm, fast finish,” the harvest was a little early, with grape yields slightly lighter to average (due to a variety of water conservation efforts), yet the 2021 crop will be viewed as an excellent vintage. Our vines produced pristine grapes, with excellent natural acidity, wonderful balance, and pure varietal flavors. The grapes for our 2021 Block Two 25th Winery Anniversary Chardonnay were harvested on September 11th at 23.8˚ Brix.
The Clones
Located at the southern edge of the Alexander Valley, where it converges with two other highly regarded Sonoma County appellations, Chalk Hill and the Russian River Valley. On its eastern edge, the 150-acre vineyard borders the Russian River. Situated in a unique location that is part river benchlands and part hillside, the vineyard benefits from its alluvial gravel soils and the rockier soils that comprise the hillside sections of the vineyard.
Winemaking
This wine showcases the power and sophistication of the oldest Chardonnay vines in our estate vineyard. It was fermented entirely 100% new French oak barrels. Indigenous yeasts performed the primary fermentation, and the wine underwent 100% spontaneous malolactic fermentation early in the Spring of 2022. The wine spent a total of 19 months in barrel before being bottled unfined and unfiltered.