- Wines
2019 Langley Hill Vineyard Chardonnay
"Tight aromas of crushed citrus leaf, chiseled stone and wet cement draw the nose into this bottling from mountaintop vines planted more than 40 years ago. Tense tannins contain the flavors at first behind a veil of stone, but then come more generous streaks of nectarine and sea salt, as acidity pumps into the finish."
96 pts, Wine Enthusiast
Vineyard
Langley Hill is our largest plot of Estate Chardonnay. It occupies a steep hillside, offering numerous exposures and soil depths. This complex arrangement leads to multiple picks often spread over weeks, rather than days. Langley Hill's is often both the first and last of our Chardonnays to be picked. The vineyard’s fractured sandstone over Lambert shale yields Chardonnay that is steely and structured with persistent citrus and mineral flavors.
Production Notes
The 2019 vintage will go down as a classic year in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Some unsettled weather in the spring resulted in poor flowering, lower yields in some blocks. The summer was warm, but not oppressively so- the lack of extreme heat events was a welcome change. Harvest began in mid September, finishing up in mid to late October - relatively late compared to the recent string of early harvests. The wines are concentrated with a fine balance of structure and fruit intensity. Site expression seems amplified; low yields and moderate temperatures often lead to some of our most singular and terroir driven wines. The wines drink surprisingly well in their youth and have all the components for a long life ahead. The only downside to the year are yields; the wines will be sought after and rare.
Technical Data
Vintage
2019
Varietal
Chardonnay
Appellation
Santa Cruz Mountains
Acid
7.3
pH
3.24
Alcohol %
13.7
Wine Enthusiast
96