Ingrid’s Vineyard is planted directly in front of Bernardus Lodge in the beautiful Carmel Valley. The vineyard is split into two equal parts. 3 ½ acres are planted to Chardonnay with Dijon clones 76 and 95, while the other 3 ½ acres are planted to a variety of Pinot Noir clones. This site has proven to be superb for these cool climate varietals with its sunny, cool location and its deep, well-drained soils.
At Bernardus, we ferment and age our Chardonnays in the Burgundian tradition. Our Ingrid’s Vineyard grapes are hand-picked and sorted before being very gently whole-cluster pressed to insure the finest quality. We then transfer the juice to small French barrels for fermentation. Each barrel is hand stirred every two weeks to enhance richness and complexity. Our Ingrid’s Chardonnay goes through a complete malo-lactic fermentation before final blending and bottling.
As the vineyard matures, the wines seem to keep getting better and better. This vintage of Ingrid’s Chardonnay is possibly our finest to date! The aromas express ripe tropical fruits and honeysuckle. The palate is very rich and complex with flavors of ripe white fruits and ginger cookie spice. A beautiful expression of this special Carmel Valley vineyard!
Picking date: October 23rd, 2022
Cooperage: 100% French; 33% new: Sirugue and Billon cooperage.
Bottling: June 16th, 2023.
245 6-packs (750 mls.)