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2008 Glittering-Throated Emerald Chardonnay
Vineyards
The grapes for the Glittering-Throated Emerald Chardonnay were sourced from vineyards owned by longtime Monterey County grape grower Scheid Vineyards.
Riverview Vineyard (Soledad): Located two miles east of Soledad and adjacent to the Pinnacles, this 215-acre vineyard is nestled on a bench overlooking the Salinas river. It is an ideal Chardonnay growing location−the bench creates excellent air flow and the southwestern exposure maximizes available sunlight, allowing fruit to ripen slowly and evenly. The soils are well-drained and comprised of decomposed granite.
San Lucas Vineyard (San Lucas): The sub-appellation of San Lucas is located approximately 12 miles south of King City. The vineyard has softly rolling topography. The loamy soil allows for deep root penetration of 60 inches or more. The gentle slopes are well drained and water permeability is moderately slow. Warm days followed by cool afternoon winds in the late afternoon present excellent climactic conditions for growing top quality wine grapes. Low shoot and cluster densities combined with a divided canopy trellis system (exposing fruit to filtered sunlight optimizes the canopy-to-fruit ratio.
Winemaking
The fruit was whole cluster pressed then cold settled in a tank for 48 hours. The wine was then racked to stainless steel tanks and fermented at 50-55 degrees. Post fermentation the wine was racked, filtered and bottled. This Chardonnay has not been aged in oak or put through malolactic fermentation.
Winemaker’s Tasting Notes
This wine opens up with aromas like a tropical fruit salad—pineapples, guava and bananas dominate the nose. Hints of lemon grass and citrus rind as well. The flavors are concurrent with the nose—lots of fresh pineapple. Kiwi, lime and a hit of grassiness round out this very fruit forward Chardonnay. The bright acid makes this a wonderfully refreshing summer wine.
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