Hendry Barrel Fermented Chardonnay

Lemon yellow color. On the nose, sweet baked apple fruit, floral aromas, soft and dusty oak, and toasted marshmallow/burnt sugar. Medium-bodied. Young now, with nectarine and apple fruit, and passionfruit acid. Lemon zest in the finish. The fattiness of salmon, especially in a sauce with lemon, would bring out the best in this wine, as would gnocchi in a creamy sauce. We recently "road-tested" the Barrel Fermented Chardonnay with an array of cheeses and found it to be one of our most versatile wines with cheese, charcuterie, etc.

ABV: 14.5%

George Hendry and his family have grown grapes on the same family farm in Napa Valley since 1939. Through more than eighty years of harvests, our connection to the land has deepened, and our knowledge has grown. Hendry Ranch is composed of 203 acres situated in the low, rolling hills just northwest of Napa, at the foot of Mt. Veeder, and includes 114 acres under vine. This location in the valley experiences substantial marine influence, allowing us to grow many different types of wine grapes. All Hendry wines are made only from estate grapes, and are crafted to highlight the unique terroir of this very special vineyard.

The Hendry Vineyard is located on benchlands just west of the town of Napa. The Chardonnay vines grow on thin, stony soils between 200 and 300 feet above sea level. The vineyard is at the intersection of the cooler Carneros appellation and the greater Napa Valley, which becomes warmer as you travel northward. Morning fog and afternoon breezes from the San Pablo Bay moderate the climate, giving us long, warm summer days and cooler nights. The Barrel Fermented Chardonnay is whole-cluster pressed and then cold-settled. It is barrel fermented sur lie and aged in French oak barrels for 11 months, without racking, undergoing frequent battonage, or stirring, in the barrels. Approximately one-third of the barrels are new each year. The Barrel Fermented Chardonnay does not undergo any malolactic fermentation, which is important for retaining its food-friendly acidity.

At Hendry, we have a strong sense of environmental responsibility. We base our choices in the vineyard on a desire to continue farming this land ethically and sustainably, as our family has done here since 1939.

We do not routinely apply any herbicides or pesticides in the vineyard. In addition, we maintain a complex, naturally diverse cover crop to foster healthy, aerated soil and minimize the need for added nitrogen. This minimizes potential nitrogen runoff that could be harmful to our nearby stream and river. As needed, we may apply potassium and phosphorus to the soil before the first rains of the season to support this cover crop, which in turn, supports the grapes. The remains of the winemaking process--skins, seeds and stems--are plowed back into the soil each harvest. The sulfur we apply in the vineyard is organically derived.

We have not sought, nor do we intend to seek, certification of any kind, choosing instead to follow our own path of best and most responsible practices to maintain a healthy vineyard and environment, while reserving the option to use specific, short term and targeted solutions, organic or otherwise, should an urgent or difficult insect threat appear. Thankfully, this is something that has occurred only a handful of times in the last eight decades.