2013 PELLEGRINI, OLIVER LANE, CHARDONNAY, RUSSIAN RIVER, CALIFORNIA

The Olivet Lane Vineyard is planted to Wente clone Chardonnay, and the soils are gravelly loam. The fruit for this wine is hand-harvested, and fermentation and full malolactic occur in barrel, with lees stirring and sur-lie aging for 16 months prior to racking and bottling to add texture and finesse.

This is a juicy, brilliant, succulent Chardonnay, with no distracting buttery notes despite the ML and lees efforts. The color is brilliant yellow, and the aromas slant toward citrus and green melon. So does the palate, which is clean, vibrant, and vital. This is a truly beautiful, crisp-linen-pleated sort of wine, which holds itself in a state of ripe but demure reflection.