Trail Marker Wine Co. 2022 Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains

Vintage Notes: Santa Cruz was mostly spared the brutal heat waves that marked the end of the 2022 growing season for so many, (thank god). The resulting grapes that went into the 2022 Santa Cruz Mountain blend are marked by gorgeous acidity, balanced with a lovely mid palate weight. The late bud-break and uneven flowering had us worried, but a little heat spike in mid June evened everything out. From there on out it was a winemakers dream of a year, constant fog gave way to warm days before the maritime influence would reliably roll back in from the Monterey Bay. The calcareous soils at all spot on stellar year to be sure. The grapes were harvested at 20.8 - 22.2 brix between September 5th and September 14th.

Vineyard Notes: A Blend of 4 vineyards: Quink, Redwood Hill, Regan and Linda Vista, all of which are on the Southern end of the AVA at the top of the Monterey Bay. All 4 sites have Calcareous alluvial soils with huge calcium rich deposits. Uplift from the Pacific Ocean meets granite coming down from the towering Loma Prieta mountains above. Mount Eden and Dijon clones.

Winemaking Notes: All the Chardonnay sites were hand harvested at first light. The berries were gently broken before being whole cluster pressed. The juice was intentionally oxidized, or “browned out”, before being racked to neutral 600L French puncheons where spontaneous primary and secondary fermentation occurred. Aged in oak sur lees for 10 months before being racked to stainless steel for another 6 months of additional, anaerobic, aging. Bottled March 2024.

Tasting Notes: Aromas of oyster shell and dried white peony leaves. On the palate, paraffin, lemon chiffon, rosemary.