Luli Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands
The 2015 Luli Chardonnay possesses fresh aromatics and a focused mouthfeel. Weather conditions and stressed vines allowed for harvesting of lower brix, which in turn provides a vibrant, uplifting quality. Floral aromas are matched with undertones of blood orange and stone fruit. A juicy, slightly weighted mid-palate from the neutral oak barrels transitions seamlessly to minerality and mouthwatering acidity.
Dedicated time spent in the vineyards was critical for the 2015 farming season. An unseasonably warm winter led to the earliest bud break on record in the Santa Lucia Highlands, effectively shifting the growing season to the early months of the year. May was cold, overcast and windy, which were not ideal conditions for flowering. This triggered the vines’ metabolic response to weather conditions that discourages grapes from developing properly—or “shatter”, which resulted in an extremely low-yielding vintage. Fortunately, summer cooperated with mild temperatures and normal levels of fog, so vine development kept its usual pace. The resulting small yield of fruit had a nice balance of sugar levels and time spent on the vine. Harvest began the last week in August and spanned the month of September.
