Chardonnay-2018 Ingrid's Vineyard

2018 Ingrid’s Vineyard Chardonnay
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.
The aromas of
our 2018 Ingrid’s Chard exhibit ripe tropical fruit and ginger cookie notes.
The palate is long and well-structured. The flavors beautifully mirror the
aromas and are supported by a crisp finish, thanks to its cool climate
location.
Picking date: October 20th, 2018.
Cooperage: 40% new; Sirugue, Billon and Dargaud
& Jaegle.
Bottling: August 18th, 2019.
207 cases. (750 mls.)