We aged the wine in Atelier Centre France and Chassin cooperage for 14 months with 50% new barrels. The Platt site, like Grand Cru Chablis sites, is expressive of the vineyard terrior and reflective of a balanced barrel regime. I believe in letting each site express itself and that means that each of our wines has a unique barrel program and wine chemistry that reflect that particular site in a given vintage.
This wine will age, like a great white Burgundy, for a decade or more. This is another masterful effort from what, I believe, is the greatest site for Chardonnay in California.
Vineyard Notes
The 2016 Vintage at Platt brought another relatively small crop, but not as tiny as the 2015 harvest. Platt 2016 yields were 54 tons for the 31.3 acres of vines. The 2016 crop year the first full year of us managing the farming at Platt and we initiated several viticultural changes that produced healthier vines and cleaner, better fruit.
Platt sits 2.5-miles from the Coast and the vineyards cascade down a south-facing ridgeline. The Goldridge fine sandy loam soils are the most sought after for Pinot Noir and afford excellent drainage. The consistent west wind provides good airflow which helps keep the grapes clean. The Chardonnay blocks sit at the higher elevations between 625 and 850 feet above sea level and are frequently (but not always) above the fog that fills the valley most every morning.
The 2016 Platt Chardonnay has a minerality that is both compelling and atypical for California, and, a gorgeous texture. There are notes of just ripe pear and ripe lemon citrus along with an intriguing almond wood note. That said, the defining characteristics of the Platt Chardonnay are the acidity, the minerality and the tension in the wine. The wine follows clearly in the footsteps of the beautiful 2015 Flanagan Chardonnay from Platt Vineyard.