Nose
The 2021 features herbal chamomile, lemon oil, and soft vanilla aromas.
Palate
Bright fruit flavor with deeper autolytic notes combine to create a balanced, full, textural result. Caramel and crème brûlée notes embedded in the wine show time spent aging in oak, finishing with a creamy, lees influenced, texture.
Growing Conditions
100% estate grown on Old Mission Peninsula, Jamieson Vineyard
Harvest
The grapes were harvested on October 7th, 2021 from our Jamieson Vineyard, just south of the winery.
Bottling
The Chardonnay was then lightly filtered and bottled on August 31st 2022.
Winemaking
Our style continues to evolve at Mari as we seek the right balance of whole cluster pressing, oak fermentation, and lees aging to deliver a Chardonnay that truly tastes of our region.
After pressing, the juice was whole cluster pressed into mostly fourth-use barrique barrels.
Aging
The lees were stirred once a week through the end of malolactic fermentation to increase their surface area contact for further impact. Then, the wine was aged for eight months in the barrel sur lie before racking on August 16th.
Food Pairing
We recommend pairing with triple-crème cheeses like brie, butter chicken, pasta dishes with white cream sauce, squash risotto, or a tart lemon bar.