2009 Chardonnay, Westside Farms, Clone 4

2009 Chardonnay
Westside Farms
Clone 4

We are extremely pleased to present our very first Westside Farms Chardonnay produced under the Alysian label. Though new to Alysian, this is certainly not a new vineyard for our winemaker Gary Farrell. In fact, he produced designated wines from this vineyard under his namesake brand for nearly 20 years. Gary considers the Chardonnay from Westside Farms to be “of benchmark quality and status”; with a fruit profile so pure and regionally correct, it sets the standard for what (in his opinion) other Russian River Valley Chardonnays should strive to be.

Thanks to his longstanding relationship with the vineyard’s owners (Ron and Pam Kaiser) and their very capable vineyard management team headed by Kevin Barr, Gary was able to negotiate for the purchase of a few tons of grapes from the highly acclaimed (and highly allocated) Block 3. This 20+ year old block was planted by Kevin Barr to Clone 4 on AXR rootstock, and continues to dazzle winemakers with its generosity of fruit and extraordinarily high levels of mouthwatering natural acidity.

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Tasting Notes

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Vintage Summary

After a long, wet winter, vines were slow to awaken to the cool spring of 2009. The growing season remained cool and steady in the Russian River Valley, with near-perfect conditions, very few heat spikes and no precipitation during July, August or September. This pattern remained intact throughout the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing season, resulting in wonderfully clean, flavorful fruit with tremendous acidity.

On October 13 (well after completion of our grape harvest), six inches of rain fell on Sonoma and Napa counties. This was a devastating blow to the late-ripening varietals (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah) not yet harvested. Many winemakers evaluate the vintage in two parts; the great wines produced from pre-storm grapes and everything else. Generally speaking, look for this to be a great vintage for Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from Sonoma and Napa, but “spotty” for other varietals.

Winemaker Notes

This Chardonnay never strays from its sublime identification of place; the gravely banks of the Russian River along Westside Road in western Sonoma County. Though this is arguably the most famous wine road in America, the vineyard’s address isn’t the only shining star here. Westside Farms (again) delivers a wine that is remarkably firm in stature, while at the same time boasting tremendous abundance in both fruit and texture. It is wildly refreshing on the palate, with an exotic array of mango, lime and honey supported beautifully by a fine streak of minerality. It all culminates becomes succulent and juicy through the remarkably long finish. All you need is a glass of this Chardonnay, a fresh green salad, a nice helping of spicy brown rice and a beautifully grilled, medium-rare Alaskan halibut steak…and all will be good in the world (at least temporarily).

Gary Farrell, winemaker

Cellar Notes

  • Vineyards and Clones

    Westside Farms Block 3
    Clone 4

  • Harvest Information

    Harvest date: September 16
    Hand harvest at 6:00 AM
    Hand sorted in vineyard
    Average brix: 24.1 degrees

  • Grape Processing

    Cold fruit processed early AM
    Hand sorted prior to pressing

  • Fermentation

    100% barrel fermented
    35% ML fermentation (in barrel)
    Yeast: Three cultured strains
    Duration: 20 days

  • Barrel Program

    100% French oak
    Francois Freres, Rousseau
    35% new
    65% one and two year old
    9 months in barrel

  • Finished Wine

    Alcohol: 14.4% by volume
    Titratable acidity: 7.4 gm/L
    pH: 3.47
    Bottling date: June 6, 2010
    Production: 160 cases (9 liter equivalent)

  • Accolade PDF

  • Critic PDF

Accolades