Lucia Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands
A blend of 62% Pisoni Vineyards and 38% Soberanes Vineyard, the 2016 Lucia Chardonnay possesses lively aromas of citrus oil, orange peel, and golden delicious apple coupled with beautiful green mango notes. This cuvée combines a variety of Wente Chardonnay clonal selections to bring concentration and texture. The high-altitude blocks of Pisoni Vineyards create a phenolic structure and the vines at the Soberanes vineyard give a refreshing, bright acidity on the palate. This is a wonderful chardonnay to enjoy now that will also cellar well for several years.
After a difficult 2015 harvest and years of prolonged drought, the 2016 vintage saw beautiful weather conditions and a welcomed average yield of fruit. Rain returned to Monterey County in the beginning of the 2016 season (approximately 12 inches, the most our area has seen since 2011). Budbreak began the second week in March and vines showed more life and energy due to the early-season soil moisture. Strong vine growth required additional labor to tend to the shoots. Summer saw a balanced fruit set and weather conditions typical of the windy, fog-blanketed Santa Lucia Highlands. August temperatures were cooler than average which allowed for a slow, gentle ripening up to harvest. Patience was necessary for harvest—it began the first week of September and continued through the first week of October.
