Kenwood Six Ridges Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2016 (750ml)

 

“Six Ridges” celebrates the unique character of Sonoma County’s best wine regions.  These wines are named in honor of the mountain ridges that border our vineyards and create the distinctive terroirs.

 

Kenwood Six Ridges Chardonnay

Russian River Valley 2016

 

Tasting Notes

 

Bright fruity notes of peach and lemon zest combine with rich aromatic aromas of vanilla, nutmeg and toasty oak.  The full bodied palate with rich flavors gives way to a long and elegant finish.

 

Russian River Valley:  Named for the early Russian fur trappers who settled on the California coast in the first part of the 19th century, the Russian River Valley is formed by the eponymous river which cuts through the rugged Coast Range Mountains.  This creates a passageway for the cool afternoon sea breezes and evening fog, which flow inland before eventually spreading out onto the Santa Rosa Plain.  It is also an ideal climate for growing Chardonnay as the cooling influence preserves the grapes’ natural acidity and crisp fruit flavors.

 

Winemaker Notes

 

The grapes for this Chardonnay were hand-picked in the pre-dawn hours and whole-cluster pressed at the winery.  After settling overnight, the juice was racked off the solids and yeast was added. 48 hours later when the yeast were just becoming active, the juice was racked into French oak barrels for fermentation.  After the primary alcoholic fermentation was complete, the barrels underwent a secondary malolactic fermentation that softened the wines flavor and gave it a slight buttery note.  The barrels were aged sur lie for seven months, undergoing battonage or stirring every two weeks to add body and yeasty notes.

 

Food Pairings:  Pan-seared Halibut with Herb Butter Risotto with Spring Vegetables, Sauteed Chicken with Wild Rice.

 

Composition:  100% Chardonnay

Appellation:  Russian River Valley

Vintage Conditions:  Mild growing conditions during spring and summer.  Slightly warmer fall bringing grapes to full ripeness in late September.

Harvest Method:  Night by Hand

Oak Regimen:  French oak barrel

Aging:  Sur lie aged for 7 months

Cellaring Potential:  1 - 4 Years

Alcohol:  13.5%

 

 

Kenwood Vineyards

 

Kenwood Vineyards was established in the 1970s in the very heart of Sonoma, where together with a handful of wineries, we started premium winemaking in this region, long before the region’s AVAs were even created.

 

As one of California’s premium wine pioneers, we now benefit from a strong heritage and pedigree.  We initiated our passion in an original Sonoma barn building that dates back to 1906 where we have remained since.  We stay true to our historical past by producing wines from each vineyard separately, as we did 46 vintages ago.  We have been crafting the iconic Jack London single vineyard wines for nearly 40 years, and as we look towards the future, we craft new premium wines and invest in our home and our vineyards.  Our new ranges are pure expressions of the rich and diverse terroir of Sonoma.

 

Small-lot winemaking and dedication to the details

 

We make our wines by hand to honor the traditions of this diverse place, with a craftsmanship that produces the highest-quality premium wines.

 

We are extremely hands-on and our vision is uncompromising, therefore we believe small-lot winemaking is the best way to get the most out of Sonoma County fruit.  This means we pick, ferment and age each of our vineyard lots separately, preserving their uniqueness throughout the winemaking process and giving the winemaker ultimate control to craft the optimal blend.

 

We hand-pick as many of our grapes as possible, ensuring we carefully select only the best fruit.  We know the history of the land and the fruit, and nothing is picked until our Chief Winemaker tastes it.

 

After harvesting at the peak of flavor, each lot is fermented and kept separate, to preserve the unique flavors created by the terroir of each vineyard.  This allows us to give each parcel the individualized treatment it needs to bring out the maximum expression of flavor.  We have more than 150 individual lots that we ferment in 125 small stainless steel tanks, so it’s no small task to treat each separately.  We taste each tank at least once per day.

 

12,000 small oak barrels do the rest for our small lot winemaking process, ensuring a distinct barrel aging regimen that integrates the oak into the wine in harmony with the flavors from the vineyard rather than overwhelming them.

 

At the end of the process, the broad palette that our Chief Winemaker has to work with unlocks an incredible amount of power to him.  This small lot approach lets us adapt quickly while bringing each wine to its full potential to showcase layers of subtle complexity and superb balance.  As a result, every Kenwood Vineyards wine – whether Sonoma Series, Six Ridges, Jack London or Artist Series – is consistent in quality and consistently delicious.

 

How We Work the Vineyards

 

Our winemaking team works closely with our viticulture and grower relations group to ensure they know exactly flavor profile that we are looking for each of the varieties and lots of wine that we make.  No vineyard is chosen before both our winemaker and viticulturist have visited and approved it as being a source for our grapes.  Equally no vineyard is harvested until our Chief Winemaker Pat Henderson personally tastes the fruit and judges that is has reached its peak of flavor.

 

The work at our Estate Vineyards

 

Just like the wines in our cellar, each of our estate vineyards is treated as its own individual entity with a unique management strategy crafted to bring out the best of its fruit.  Vineyard practices such as pruning, crop load, tilling, leaf pulling, thinning and irrigation to name a few are employed by our vineyard managers to maximize the flavor from each of our vineyards.

 

Relations with local growers

 

We have built strong relationships with some of the best and longest standing growers in the region.  Our grower relations manager Steve Schukler works closely with the vineyard owners to let them know exactly the quality and flavor characteristics we desire.  During the growing season Steve visits all the vineyards we work with to scrutinize them and ensure their fruit is developing properly.  As harvest approaches he works even more closely with the growers and vineyard managers to evaluate and estimate the crop and monitor flavor development.

 

Environmental approach

 

By following sustainable growing practices, Kenwood Vineyards can continue the tradition of quality winemaking for generations to come.  We adhere to this philosophy and make every effort to reduce waste, recycle and lower energy consumption.

 

Our viticulture team has certified all of our Estate Vineyards under the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program.  We are also working with our grower partners to have 100% of our Sonoma County growers certified sustainable by 2019.