VINEYARDS Beringer’s northernmost Chardonnay vineyards, Gamble Ranch and Yountville Vineyard, are located near the town of Yountville, where daytime temperatures slowly climb as the cooling morning fog recedes south to San Pablo Bay. This significant diurnal shift allows the grapes to maintain their acidity, which is essential to balancing the ripe, rich flavors they develop during warm afternoons. As harvest approached, winemaker Laurie Hook and vineyard manager Drew Johnson identified the blocks and rows that had reserve potential. Laurie walked the vineyards each morning during harvest, tasting grapes to ensure they were picked at the peak of their bright fruit flavors.

WINEMAKING
To retain the brightness of the flavors, each Chardonnay lot was kept separate throughout the aging process. After sending the fruit directly to press, winemaker Laurie Hook fermented the juice in French oak barrels (62 percent new) to enhance the natural richness in the wine. Weekly lees stirring enhanced the toasty notes, and integrated the oak flavors for an overall balance. All of the wines were put through malolactic fermentation to encourage a lush creaminess. After 9 months aging, Winemaker Laurie chose the most expressive lots and blended them to create a richly layered wine featuring flavors of citrus, baked pear, hints of minerality and a creamy mouthfeel.

WINEMAKER COMMENTS
“A good portion of the 2007 blend is from Gamble Ranch, a vineyard that has consistently delivered such rich, ripe fruit flavors. There’s a richness in this wine that is wonderfully balanced by a bright citrus note. A sweet oak note weaves together the many layers of aroma and flavor, carrying through to the finish. This wine is always a pleasure to make and equally pleasurable to drink!’ – Laurie Hook, Beringer Vineyards Winemaker