Arns 2020 Chardonnay Searby Vineyard   

Winemaker Notes

The 2020 Searby Chardonnay is almost a carbon copy of its predecessors. A blink of an eye from the Pacific Ocean this site grows under very cool, breezy and smokeless conditions. These vines are very old and lacking in vigor. The yields are small and the clusters can fit in the palm of your hand. I am told this clone used to be very popular in the Central Valley of California years ago. Old vines are being replaced with new modern clones and the taste of older vines are diminishing. We are excited to be able to have the opportunity to make these grapes into what
they should be – intense varietal character, lovely mouthfeel and an elegant, long finish.

We harvest at night when the sky is full of stars and it is about 55F. This coolness keeps the grapes fresh for travel to the winery and for the life time of the wine. They are housed in New French Oak. We use two old coopers who produce wonderful barrels for this occasion. The wines are yeasted with French white yeast and allowed to sleep for two years. We keep an eye on aging and when bottling is ready, we remove them from their “nest”. Enjoy with seafood, light pasta and your favorite cheese.