1. Chardonnay
Quantity: 5 to 6 tons available:
Vineyard: Michael Mara Vineyard
Owners: Steve and Jill Matthiasson and Richad and Susan Idell
Planted: 2006
The Michael Mara Vineyard is west of the town of Sonoma, at the base of the Sonoma Mountain range. The soil is the result of a cataclysmic landslide that cascaded rocks and volcanic soil down onto one spot of the valley below. Surrounded by normal valley floor loam, the Michael Mara Vineyard is situated on a unique lobe of rocks and red soil.
Vines: 100% Olmo clone Chardonnay, also called clone 4 in California or 108 in Oregon (the clone with the highest natural acidity that we are aware of).
Tasting Notes: Wine produced from the Michael Mara Vineyard is characterized by White peach, toasted almond, marshmallow, and ripe pear greet the nose, while the palate brings plenty of weight, length, and richness. This is not manufactured to be showy; however, its opulence is natural, endemic to the fruit rather than created in the cellar. Through it all, there is a distinct mineral core of rock dust, which is the distinguishing characteristic of the vineyard.