Current Release
2016 Estate Chardonnay
Vineyard
Our inaugural release was such a huge success that we grafted more Chardonnay vines on this property to try to keep up with demand. Steady weather conditions in Fort Ross – Seaview in 2014 allowed us to capture the potential of this site by crafting a Chardonnay that displays bright and racy acidity, lovely floral aromatics and elegant citrus fruit. The Chardonnay was harvested from vines planted in fractured marine sandstone that weathered over millions of years from an uplifted seabed known as the Ohlson Ranch Formation. This soil offers the same viticultural advantages as the oft-referenced Goldridge series found in the lower West Sonoma Coast elevations around Sebastopol, yet differs by including less clay and more stone than sand in its composition. Our vineyard is planted to an old Wente “clone” that was selected over the course of decades by Larry Hyde specifically for the small size of its clusters and mineral flavor profile. These differences are revealed in this distinctly unique and terroir driven Chardonnay.
Taste
Meyer lemon, hazelnut, honeysuckle
Philosophy
Red Car is focused on growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah in a network of cold-climate vineyards on the edge of the Pacific in the West Sonoma Coast. We are hands-on farmers, part of a small cadre of wineries in our region who are fortunate to grow a large majority of our own fruit. For several years now we have worked hard to go beyond sustainability and have integrated the concepts and principles of organic and permaculture systems into our farming as we search for nature’s ideal pathways. Our wines are made in small lots utilizing minimalist intervention techniques like wild yeast fermentation, gravity flow, and natural acid.
2014 Estate Chardonnay