Rootdown Wine Cellars "Cole Ranch Vineyard" Cole Ranch Chardonnay 2023

(7/2025) We grafted the Chardonnay at Cole Ranch in 2020 and it produces less than 50 cases a year – making it a highly sought-after wine. The ranch's distinctively profile of high acidity and combined with the 458 clone is reflected in the wine, resulting in a Chablis-like Chardonnay that celebrates the unique terroir of Cole Ranch. Before the grapes are delivered to the press we foot tread the whole clusters to crush each berry for more skin contact and acidity. We feel that this keeps the wine bright and textural. The juice settles overnight and fermented in neutral French oak. 30% through fermentation the wine is racked and returned to give it some oxygen and homogenize the native yeast. Post fermentation the barrels are kept topped with only 10ppm of Sulfur added until bottling. No lees stirring was done to this lot and the wine finished Malo naturally. Indulge in the bright acidity of this Chablis style Chardonnay, with hints of minerality and crushed oyster shells that create a lean mouthfeel, reminiscent of a refreshing stroll along the Sonoma Coast on a cool, foggy morning. The taste of ripe summer pineapples and citrus peel pulls on the sides of your tongue, while the orchard pear create a structure to the body.