Cakebread 2014 Chardonnay, Napa Valley, Hlf. Btl. 375 ml

Half Bottle, 375 ml

This is indeed a rare treat. Most of the production goes to restaurants where it is one of the most popular wines in the country. We were able to acquire a small quantity for our Wine Express customers. Always a huge hit, grapes come from their vineyards in Carneros and begin with night harvesting, which ensures the grapes are picked cold and retain their fruit purity and bright natural acidity. After a short drive to the winery, the fruit is whole-cluster-pressed further preserving freshness and purity and the juice is transferred to a combination of French oak barrels and stainless steel tanks for fermentation. In 2014, grapes were hand-harvested at night to retain purity of flavor and bright natural acidity, then whole-cluster-pressed to further preserve freshness and varietal intensity, with the free-run juice transferred to a mix of French oak barrels (96%) and stainless steel tanks (4%) for fermentation. 31% of the wine was put through a secondary, malolactic fermentation to enrich its flavors and texture. The barrel-fermented portion of the wine aged sur lie in 28% new French oak barrels for eight months, with bi-weekly stirring of the lees to layer the wine’s crisp, vibrant fruit with creamy, slightly yeasty tone. This 2014 won a Silver Medal in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and scored 91 Points in the Winemakers Challenge International Competition.