Tasting Notes This classic Santa Barbara Chardonnay shows distinct tropical fruit and citrus aromas enhanced by vanilla, butterscotch and toasty oak notes. The flavors are well structured with citrus and buttery tones balanced by a firm acidity.

Wine Maker Notes At harvest, the fruit is hand picked and whole-cluster pressed. The fresh must is immediately cooled and transferred to sixty-gallon French oak barrels for fermentation. Barrels are predominately of Vosges and Alliers forest origin and are purchased from several Burgundian cooperage firms. Forty to fifty percent of the cooperage used for Lincourt’s Chardonnay is new oak in each vintage.

Once fermentation in complete, the wine is allowed to clarify and settle in the barrel. It remains in barrel from January through June during which time the wine is stirred weekly to enhance development of flavor and complexity. Malolactic fermentation is completed at this time and the wine is further aged and stirred until August. At the end of August final evaluation of each individual lot takes place and the decision of the final blend is determined and assembled. The wine is bottled in early September.

Technical Notes Sugar at harvest: 23.8 - 24.4 Alcohol: 14% TA: .80 pH: 3.22