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2005 Hartford Court Chardonnay
Four Hearts Vineyards, Russian River Valley
Tasting Notes
Complex aromas and flavors of white peach, citrus blossom, Asian pear and candied lemon give way to a rich and weighty mid-palate, followed by a very long, exotic spice infused finish.
Acclaim
92 Points - Bob Johnson, Wine Lines, March 2007
91 Points - Robert Parker Jr., The Wine Advocate, Dec. 2006
91 Points, - The Wine Enthusiast, April 2007
Four Stars, ‘Excellent’ - Ronn Wiegand, Restaurant Wine, (Issue 116)
Vineyard Character
Our family of four makes Four Hearts Vineyards Chardonnay from estate and neighboring vineyards
located in the four key regions that form the heart of the Russian River Valley AVA; the Middle Reach,
Laguna Ridge, Green Valley and the Santa Rosa Bench. The soil is a mixture of ash and lava from ancient
volcanoes plus alluvial gravel from rivers and streams. The so-called “Goldridge” soils (sandy loam) found
here are prized for fine wine production because they drain well and are not very fertile.
The vineyards are planted with very distinctive Chardonnay clonal selection that range from the Raffo and
Rued Chardonnay (Wente) field selections - Dijon Clone 96, UC's Davis Clone 15 as well as smaller
amounts of UC Davis clones 4 and 5. These distinctive clones (or field selections) are picked and fermented
separately. Only the best barrels from each lot are blended to make the final bottling. Although this
inaugural vintage of Hartford Court Four Hearts Chardonnay has a weighty texture with spicy and layered
flavors, it finishes with a brightness that reflects the cool climate origins of the stellar vineyards that
comprise this new release. 100% barrel fermented, 100% malolactic with weekly lees stirring in the
barrel (batonnage).
Wine Details
Oak: 100% French oak, 33% new
Time in oak: 11 months
Alcohol: 14.3%
TA: 6.0 g/L
pH: 3.48
Yeast: Native and cultured
Wine Information Sheet PDF
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