Loleta Vineyards Central Coast Chardonnay

Winery Notes

Tasting Notes
Full-bodied fruit and spice, often with the ability to age. Ranging from bold Australian Chardonnay to aged Vouvray, this style usually relies on the interplay of oak and fruit, forming a complex, honeyed character. Overt vanilla aromas tends to come with barrel fermentation more than via the more gentle processes involved in barrel maturation, and from new wood rather than used oak.

Vintage Notes

Vineyard Notes
The Central Coast AVA in California covers the long stretch of coastline from San Francisco Bay south to Santa Barbara, and reaches inland from the Pacific Ocean to the borders of the Central Valley. . The cool climate in much of the Central Coast AVA is excellently suited to the Burgundy varieties of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, despite the fact that the northernmost part of the region is a full 10 degrees closer to the equator than Burgundy (at latitude 47°N). The hotter, more inland areas of the Central Coast are also good for Zinfandel, which is planted in San Benito County and Paso Robles. Cabernet Sauvignon does well in the higher-altitude parts of the AVA, particularly in the Santa Cruz Mountains north of Monterey Bay.

Winemaking Notes
Chardonnay Blend - In the vineyard, clonal selection is a major factor – albeit anecdotally not to the degree of Chardonnay's Burgundian counterpart, Pinot Noir. In the New World especially, clones are often mentioned. For instance, much is made of the likes of the Mendoza clone (known for its variability in berry size, it brings both freshness and concentration) or the sometimes-pithy notes and acidity of UCD (University of California-Davis) Clone 15, actually sourced in Washington (where it is sometimes called the Prosser clone).