Nose
The exceptional 2016 vintage yielded an intensely aromatic wine, with great
complexity and beautiful aromas of white flowers, nutmeg and Golden Delicious apple.
Palate
Though full
and rich on the palate, Conner Lee’s signature cool-climate acidity keeps things bright and
energetic, adding layers of minerality to vivid flavors of lime, Asian pear and summer melon.
Growing Conditions
While the 2016 growing season delivered our fourth year in a row of early
budbreak and flowering, a well-timed mid-summer cooldown extended the season. This provided
the grapes with an ideal amount of hangtime, while preserving the natural acidity that is so integral
to our style
Harvest
While 2016 yielded our earliest harvest ever at Conner Lee, it was a near-perfect
growing season, and every cluster was gorgeous. We picked our 1989 block chardonnay on
August 23th and August 30th at 21.3 ̊Brix/3.29 pH, and 23.2 ̊Brix/3.37 pH respectively, with our
clone #95 grapes arriving on September 8th at 21.4 ̊and 3.60 pH.
Winemaking
This wine was 92% whole-cluster pressed, with 8% given skin contact for 48 hours
to build body, tannin character and structure. 57% was fermented in predominantly mature
Burgundy barrels, with a total of 7% new French oak. To enhance texture and richness, we
fermented the other 43% in concrete. To maintain Conner Lee’s bright, fresh character, only 50%
of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. In keeping with our gentle winemaking approach,
and a belief in preserving complexity, this wine was not cold stabilized.
