Clos Pegase, Mitsuko’s Vineyard, Chardonnay, Carneros, Napa Valley 2020

Upon pouring there are aromas of fresh cantaloupe, Jasmin blossom and pear, all underscored by subtle oak tones. Notes of brioche, crème brulee and peach. On the palate, the character of the wine leans in the Californian direction, with cut melon, a touch of pineapple, Asian pear and fresh-cut hay. All tied together with balanced, structured acidity and enough oak to add complexity without overwhelming the fruit. Beautiful now but has the potential to age and improve over the next 5-7 years.

Mitsuko’s vineyard, located in the cool Carneros region, has proven over the years to have an abundance of ideal sites for Chardonnay. Purchased by Clos Pegase as bare land in 1989, the winery has continued to refine the vineyard’s plantings in order to maximize the site’s potential, and subsequently, the Clos Pegase Chardonnay continues to evolve each year.

Picked in the early morning and delivered to the winery cold, the grapes are then gently pressed. The Juice settles out for 24hrs before being racked into the tank to undergo a slow cool fermentation. Using carefully selected strains of yeast along with native fermentation, we allow the wines to reach just beyond halfway through fermentation before racking to the barrel where they complete primary fermentation. Using 30% new French oak the wine then undergoes full malolactic conversion in our caves, during which we battonage the barrels to increase mid-palate complexity. After 9 months the wines were blended and lightly filtered before going to bottle.