2008 Chardonnay Grand Cuvee
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2008 CHARDONNAY "GRAND CUVEE” Santa Barbara County Winemaker's Notes: In Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Grand Cuvee is the designation on our nationally distributed reserve wines. In Chardonnay, we have had a Grand Cuvee (almost continuously) since the 1986 vintage. Probably the biggest difference in the newer generations of these wines is that I no longer insist that they conform exclusively to an Estate Grown formula. Back in the earlier vintages, my ranch was the only one growing the kinds of grapes that I would use for a reserve Chardonnay or Pinot. There was really nothing else to draw upon. But now, I can build reserve blends of Chardonnay from great vineyards like TOP CREAM (estate) and OASIS (Los Alamos Valley). Pinots can be constructed from vineyards like OCEAN’S GHOST (estate) and DÉJÀ VU (Paso Robles). As a result, my Grand Cuvees have taken on more artistic license. While my Terroir Exclusives portfolio is still an attempt to isolate and master great soils, the Grand Cuvee portfolio is now an attempt to master great blends from those soils. One thing that has not changed is that this Cuvee is quite complex. Shortly after being bottled, it’s giving impressions of pineapple and crème brulée. There are some other fruits in there too which have not quite yet materialized as anything distinct. But if I had to guess, I’d say we will be getting a little mango and pear in a few months. From TOP CREAM’s contribution to the blend, I’d also expect to find some of that familiar Sta. Rita Hills lemon-lime. Largely attributable to OASIS, the wine is sweet and has a real luxurious texture. At the same time, it is by no means flabby. Its heft is reined in by brisk acidity. While last year’s wine was more slender and showed more minerality, this year we are back to a cuvee with little more butter and fat. Cheers, Bryan Technical Notes: VARIETAL: 100% Chardonnay VINEYARDS IN THE BLEND 67% Babcock Estate, Sta. Rita Hills 33% Loma Verde Vineyard, Los Alamos Valley VINIFICATION: 100 % barrel fermented; 100% malolactic fermentation TIME IN BARRELS: 8 months; 33% new French oak barrels, medium toast FINISHED WINE: Residual Sugar: Dry, TA: 6.6 g/L, pH: 3.40, ALCOHOL: 13.7% BOTTLING DATE: May 2009 CASES PRODUCED:668 cases 12/750 ml RELEASE DATE: November 2009 Click Here for an Adobe Reader PDF version of Bryan Babcock's vintage note on 2008 Chardonnay, Grand Cuvee.