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2007 Qupe "Bien Nacido, Y-Block" Chardonnay
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MSRP: $17.99
Price: $14.39
You Save: $3.60 (20 %)
Item Number: CQCHY
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2007 Qupe "Bien Nacido, Y-Block" Chardonnay
This is our 25th vintage of making Chardonnay in Santa Barbara County! The basic style has remained the same throughout. The first vintage, 1982, came from the Santa Maria Hills Vineyard. From 1983 1995 our Chardonnay came exclusively from the Sierra Madre Vineyard, also in the Santa Maria Valley. Since 1996 its come exclusively form Bien Nacido Vineyard and specifically from Y Block a sandy, gravelly soil on the banks of the Cuyama River, just opposite the winery.
2006 was a fairly cool vintage. We started harvest of the Y Block on September 19th at 22.2° brix with 10 grams of acid and 3.24 pH. We did several picks in the 23° 23.5° range and finished on October 27th with the last lot picked at 25.5°. I prefer picking at a range of sugars rather than trying to pick at optimum ripeness and bring it all in at once. I find we have better balance, complexity and a better chance of getting it right.
The grapes were whole cluster pressed and then chilled and settled overnight. The juice then went straight to French oak François Frères 30% new barrels) from primary and malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged 8½ months on the lees before blending and bottling in June 2007.
This wine is quite typical for Bien Nacido Chardonnay from a cool vintage. Leaning more towards citrus and minerality and leaning away from but still showing some nice tropical fruit. It is quite firm in the mouth with wonderful, mouthwatering acidity.
Im quite pleased with the balance and that the alcohol is under 14% (13.4%) This wine will age nicely from some time and should be peaking in about 7-8 years.
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