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Tasting Notes
Medium bodied with crisp acidity, this bright and crisp wine features meyer lemon, white peach, lemongrass, and ginger, along with a more subtle, salty minerality in the finish.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
ACIDITY
Low
Moderate
Balanced
Crisp
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
12.8%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Chardonnay may be the most versatile white wine grape, often seen as a blank canvas. It displays various flavors and aromas depending on where it is grown and more specifically, how it is made. It can range in Palate Character from Bright & Crisp to Rich & Full depending on the climate. It is also particularly malleable and highly affected by winemaking choices like as malolactic fermentation, lees stirring, barrel fermentation and ageing practices.
After an exhaustive search, the Murphy family found an unplanted 200-acre property in the Santa Maria Valley. 16 miles from the Pacific ocean, it was perfect for the elegant style of pinot noir and chardonnay that the family and winemaker Dieter Cronje sought to produce.
The approach to the vineyard design was a strategy of combining terroir and diversity. They mapped the site's deep sandy soils, distinct airflows, exposures, and elevations before planting in order to facilitate decision-making about row directions, spacing, clones, and even the rootstocks.
The estate is located in between the San Rafael mountains to the north and the Solomon Hills to the south, which helps to funnel cool air from the Pacific and create a long growing season that yields elegant, balanced pinot noir and chardonnay with good acidity.
Lemon
White Peach
Ginger
