Onward Wines, Chardonnay 2020, Johnson Family Ranch, Mendocino, North Coast, CA

This elegant Burgundy-style Chardonnay is serious but approachable with notes of citrus, straw, stone fruit, yellow plum, roasted fennel, and stony minerality.

COUNTRY: United State of America (USA)

STATE: CA

APPELLATION (AVA): Mendocino

REGION: North Coast

SUBREGION: Mendocino County

VINEYARDS: Johnson Family Ranch

VINTAGE: 2020

GRAPES:  Chardonnay

SOIL: Pinole gravelly loam, well drained, dry-farmed

PRACTICE: California Certified Sustainable, organic farming, Fish Friendly Farming Certified

VINIFICATION: Native yeast fermentation in stainless steel, aged in large neutral oak barrels with frequent lees stirring. No malolactic or oak aromas.

STYLE: Still

COLOR: Pale straw

BODY: Medium (5-6)

TASTE: Dry

PRIMARY AROMAS: Citrus, pink apple, yellow plum, warm roasted fennel

FLAVOR: Pleasant lingering acidity, mineral, elegant finish

FORMAT: 750 ml

ALCOHOL: 11.1%

SERVICE AND SUGGESTION: This is a very food friendly wine. Enjoy with chicken, escargot, washed rind cheeses, or a light delicate fish with lemon and butter.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: Winemaker, Faith Armstrong Foster
Onward Wines are single-vineyard, site-driven wines and Farmstrong Wines are blends, and in both expressions the vineyard sites are very special to me. I am a true believer in personal connection and there is a story behind each vineyard site and how it came to be part of my portfolio. In these stories you will learn more about the people behind these vineyards. I liken my connection to these vineyards to that of one’s favorite shirt or coffee mug or chair. Like a well-worn fabric or a slightly chipped mug that may have initially caught my eye for its beauty, but over the years it has won my heart because it just feels right. When it comes to vineyards this happens too, and it is a combination of my connection with the vines themselves and my connection with those that tend them. For me the growers’ hands are most definitely part of the terroir.

ABOUT THE VINEYARDS: 
Our first vintage working together was 2010 and this happened to be the year I had a harvest baby, so as things would go I was in the vineyard with a 2 day old baby making the final picking decision.  Pete and Steve often tell this story and they say they knew then that I was serious about making good wine. To hear them say this makes me very proud because it is so important to me that they know how much I respect them and their vineyards.  Working with them is a joy. They never take shortcuts and always smile.  The Johnson family could not be more down-to-earth and invested in the quality of their grapes.

The Johnsons are fifth generation grape growers and are true stewards of the land in all that they do.  They are the kind of people I am truly proud to work with. If I were to sum them up in one word it would be: Integrity.

The Hawkeye Ranch Vineyard site is naturally stunning yet unpretentious. Redwood Valley is very far north for a California appellation. Hawkeye Ranch sits at 722 feet elevation and is located in the upper reaches of the Russian River drainage in Mendocino County. The soil type is Pinole Gravelly Loam, which provides excellent drainage and promotes low vigor.  This vineyard has warm daytime temperatures and cool evenings giving a large diurnal temperature shift often of 50 degrees; providing excellent fruit maturation while maintaining balance.  Hawkeye Ranch is farmed organically and Fish Friendly Farming Certified.