BY WINEMAKER FREDRIK JOHANSSON

As a whole, the 2011 growing season was cool and moderate with sunshine and minimal fog throughout the summer. It started as one of the wettest and longest lasting winters of recent times with treacherous conditions during flowering which naturally limited set and significantly reduced yields. After some unseasonably late rains, a beneficially dry and fog free pattern established itself allowing the vines long, sunlit days to ripen and mature the fruit. With climatic conditions more reminiscent of Carneros than Rutherford, the Estate Chardonnay fruit came in wonderfully fresh with lower levels of sugar and higher levels of acid.  These attributes  paired perfectly with our utilization of traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques of hand sorting, whole cluster pressing, barrel-fermentation and sur-lie ageing. Given the abundant acid in the wine, we increased our use of new oak, the frequency of ‘batonnage’ and the percentage of wine we put through malo-lactic fermention.

The 2011 Salus demonstrates a wispy golden color that seems to shimmer with dissolved minerals. An elegant entry of honeyed citrus fruits gives way to more substantial notes of cantaloupe and honeydew melon amidst hints of young pineapple and Meyer lemons. This crisp and refreshing wine is ready to drink now but should gain additional creaminess and texture with time in bottle.

Release Date: October 1, 2012
Harvest Dates: September 28 - October 12, 2011
Fermentation: 100% Barrel Fermentation
Barrel Aging: 10 months
Oak: 70% New, 30% used
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 14.5%

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