Franciscan Chardonnay

Winemaker Notes: Chardonnay is one of our passions and for this vintage we married grapes from two cool climate regions, Monterey and Napa Counties. In Monterey, we source from Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco, which give the wine its tropical notes, freshness, and elegance. In Napa, we source primarily from the Carneros AVA, which provides Flavors of ripe pear and apple with rich body and a touch of minerality. This Chardonnay is bright and fresh with intensely ripe fruit Flavors. A portion of the wine is made with native or “wild” yeast, which has been our tradition for decades. That, along with malolactic fermentation and sur lie aging, adds rich, creamy complexity to the wine, while the oak aging adds toasty notes.