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Bright, precise Anderson Valley Chardonnay with floral and white-fruit aromas, delicate citrus and jasmine. The palate shows golden fruit, restrained richness, a saline, mineral core and a long, savory finish. Drinks well now and will reward a decade.
Available in store
Close100% Chardonnay
Food pairings: Brick-cooked chicken, grilled salmon and risotto with wild mushrooms.
Winemaking: Winemaker Stéphane Vivier, also known for his work at Hyde de Villaine and for his own Vivier label, matured the 2018 Chardonnay for 12 months in French oak barrels, 22% of them new. The wine then spent three more months in stainless steel tank before bottling. The result is a pale green, bright and focused wine, where the oak stays in the background and lets the fruit, florals and minerality of the site come through.
Vineyards and terroir: The fruit comes from the family's Anderson Valley Estate near the hamlet of Philo, in the western "deep end" of the valley in Mendocino County, about two and a half hours north of San Francisco. Bordered by the Navarro River and close to the Pacific Ocean, the estate is blanketed by a natural marine layer that lets Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris ripen slowly. First planted by the Corby family in the 1980s, the vineyard offers a mix of elevations and soils, with both traditional California and Dijon clones. 2018 was a cool, slow season in Anderson Valley: bud break came about a month later than in the previous five vintages, a mild spring gave a good fruit set, and a cold summer by Northern California standards produced wines of real elegance and delicacy.
Family and history: Long Meadow Ranch dates back to the late 1800s, when its land in the Mayacamas Mountains above the Napa Valley was planted with vines, apple orchards and olive groves and kept a goat dairy. Farming stopped during Prohibition and the forest reclaimed the property, until Ted and Laddie Hall bought it in 1989 and began restoring it with their son Christopher. The family runs it as an integrated, organic farm, where vineyards, olive orchards, cattle and horses, poultry and vegetable gardens all work together. All crops are certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). In 2015 the Halls expanded to Anderson Valley, buying the estate there to make Burgundian-style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
In the pictures: A vineyard in summer in Anderson Valley, Mendocino County (photo: Naotake Murayama, 2009, CC BY 2.0). A view over the vineyards of Anderson Valley (photo: Andy Jenks, 2005, CC BY 2.0).
