Russian River Selection Chardonnay 2021

The Russian River Selection bottlings are quintessential Russian River Valley wines blended from some of the winery’s top vineyard sources. They are beautiful expressions of their varietal type and of the appellation’s unique terroir, each blend capturing the richness, purity and elegance that are Gary Farrell Winery’s trademarks. This layered and complex Chardonnay brings together fruit from several of our favorite Russian River Valley vineyard sites. Anchored by the naturally balanced character of Westside Farms and intriguing floral and stone fruit notes from Bacigalupi Vineyard, the wine’s great concentration and structure derive from the nearby Rochioli and Allen vineyards. Olivet Lane Vineyard, featuring the Wente clone, adds refreshing citrus tones and excellent acidity.

Westside Farms, Bacigalupi
Vineyard– Goddard Ranch,
Olivet Lane Vineyard, Rochioli
Vineyard, Allen Vineyard,
Lazy W Vineyard, Martinelli
Vineyard– Parnell Ranch,
Pratt – Cornerstone Vineyard

The grapes were harvested in the cool morning hours at ~21-23° Brix. A quick pass was made through our rows a few days prior to harvest in order to drop fruit that didn’t express the optimal flavor concentration. As anticipated, the grapes that were delivered to the winery were packed with delicious, vibrant, varietally expressive characteristics. After a very careful hand-sorting, all the fruit was combined in the press, and used a gentle program to extract only the most desirable solids and phenolics. The resulting juice was left in tank to cold-settle overnight before transferring to 30% new and 70% one to three-year-old neutral French oak barrels and puncheons for fermentation and aging, where it remained for 9 months on its primary lees until it was time to bottle in June. The wines were racked off the primary lees only once, just before bottling.

2021 was a spectacular vintage. It was a drought year, so Mother Nature was responsible for trimming yields and producing a plentiful and beautifully balanced crop. This was a nice contrast compared to previous drought years when the crop was very small and the wines were more muscular. In 2021, the clusters were medium in size and the berries were plump with a good number of seeds, excellent skin to juice ratio and beautiful acidity. The summer months had beautiful ripening weather with very few heat spikes, allowing the grapes to ripen evenly, while having time to develop lots of flavor. Veraison began in mid to late July and the weather from that point until harvest was perfectly moderate yielding excellent hang time and world class wines.

This incredibly aromatic Russian River Chardonnay boasts fresh, lifted aromas of honeysuckle, white peach, green apple and honeydew melon. The palate unfolds with flavors of roasted nectarine, Meyer lemon, ginger-honey brioche, lime zest and a just fleck of hazelnut adds layers of richness and complexity. The finish is bright and crisp, with a rich, creamy texture that carries through to the tangy, persistent finish.