Russian River Ranches Chardonnay

Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay harvest began a week earlier than normal on August 17th. The following two and a half weeks saw the return of fog and cooler weather moderating the ripening and pace of harvest. Across the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast the perfectly ripening fruit was not quite ready to pick until a hot spell arrived just after Labor Day. The last of the fruit for this vintage finally arrived at the winery on September 24th. The delay in ripening allowed for additional hang time on the vine and the fruit developing beautiful flavor.