2016 Chardonnay – Dirty
Stuhlmuller Vineyard, Alexander Valley, USA
Our fourth release of Chardonnay!!
Mark and I arrived early into the valley last year and were able to score up a couple barrels of Chardonnay. This may not seem tricky to do with Stuhlmuller having 90 acres of the stuff planted. But if you arrive too late sometimes that worm has already been plucked and you’ll have to wait for the next vintage. This was the case for us in 2014 when we went home empty handed! So happy to again have Chardonnay for all the thirsty mouths!
The 2016 growing season in Sonoma was rather boring and uneventful…always a good thing for farmers. The season was early with bud break starting in February and flowering a month later. The spring was warm with minor rains that stunted development, leaving small bunches. The summer was quite moderate with minor heat spikes in June and July. August itself was rather cool with cloudy days. This gave the grapes time to balance sugars and maturity. Harvest started mid September and progressed through to the end of October. The fruit was healthy with no issues at harvest. All of this bodes well for killer wine, with fresh acids and lovely balance.
Chardonnay at Stuhlmuller is always hand picked, destemmed, crushed and fermented with natural yeasts. The wines are raised in a wide variety of old and new French barrels. Our barrels came from two Cadus barrels first filled in 2003. I love texture and richness Cadus brings to Chardonnay, especially with a couple previous fills. The Chardonnay this year is soft and plump with an agile step. It caresses and lounges and saunters around the tongue, purring as it waltzes throughout the mouth. Every bit at home for the Sunday brunch as it is with a late summer evening dinner.
As is the case every so often at Kitten Swish we’ll dedicate a label to a close friendo. A friendo that is usually a weirdo and is wonderfully fantastic. The catch with this is that we don’t tell them we’re putting them on a label, so the outcome is always a surprise. Thankfully we have yet to be sued…fingers crossed.
The label this year is of Karen Kho. A wanton of sorts, and a doyen without question. Karen has been at the center of all sorts of chaos and mischief in my life (Mark’s too!) and it felt about right to adorn a ‘Swish bottle with her beautiful mug.
The picture on the label was taken in 2009 during the final hours of Lilac Festival along 4th street in Calgary. Having gulped and crushed about as much as we could in the public eye the team set out to haunt Dave’s apartment (Dave and Karen were quickly becoming partners in crime…wink!). We found an abandoned shopping cart wherein Karen fully ensconced herself. We wheeled the cart passed frowning security guards and displeased, but agreeable, police officers all the way to Dave’s place. Dave, who by this time was also frowning, was beginning to realize the final destination of this mayhem. Despite the furrow of Dave’s brow and the constant suggestion that this was not to be allowed we did exactly what we planned, and wheeled Karen happily into the middle of Dave’s living room
You do
What you want
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