The 2015 Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Napa Valley is 100% Chardonnay from that AVA. 90% of the grapes came from cool-climate Carneros. Cakebread’s estate vineyards in Carneros accounted for 40% of the total.
The usually warm, dry winter led to early bud break in 2015. Harvest for this Chardonnay took place between August 13 and September 4, the earliest ever of Cakebread’s 43 harvests. This, coupled with big crops in the preceding three years, resulted in lower than average yields. That’s good news for wine quality though, as the small berry size has created great intensity of flavor.
Workers hand-harvested the grapes at night to maximize freshness. Whole-cluster pressing at the winery followed and the free-run juice fermented in French oak. 29% of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. The wine was then aged eight months sur lie in barrel, 35% new, with periodic stirring for complexity and texture. 14.1% alcohol,