Porter Creek, Chardonnay 2018, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, CA

Nose of fresh lime and lemon; juicy pineapple on the palate with fleshy texture and a long, crisp finish. A little bit of a waxiness reminds one of great Burgundy.

COUNTRY: United State of America (USA)

STATE: CA

APPELLATION (AVA): Russian River Valley

REGION: Sonoma County

SUBREGION: Green Valley

VINEYARDS: Estate & Green Valley blend

VINTAGE: 2018

GRAPES: Chardonnay (Old Wente clone)

PRACTICE: Biodynamic

VINIFICATION: Direct press, less than 30% new French oak

STYLE: Still

COLOR: Medium yellow

BODY: Medium (5-6)

TASTE: Dry

PRIMARY AROMAS: Lemon and lime, yellow apple

FLAVOR: Juicy pineapple, fleshy texture, bright acidity & long crisp finish

FORMAT: 750 ml

ALCOHOL: 13.7%

SERVICE AND SUGGESTION: Enjoy with a classic New England lobster roll and a squeeze of lemon.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER: 
Porter Creek is owned by Alex Davis, who biodynamically farms his low-yielding, hillside grown vines in the Russian River Valley.

The winery got its start in 1977 when Alex's father George Davis purchased 40 acres of land off Westside Road in what would eventually become the Russian River Valley AVA. Seeing that it was an ideal location for growing Burgundian varieties, George planted 10 acres of Chardonnay in addition to the 12 acres of Pinot Noir already on the land. The winery was bonded in 1982 and for the next 15 years, George paid no attention to the ever-changing wine trends and simply worked to express the unique terroir of the Russian River Valley.

In 1997, George handed wine-making responsibility to his son, Alex. In addition to growing up working along side his father at the winery, Alex studied Enology at Fresno University and spent several years in France working with renowned wine makers including Christophe Roumier and Marcel Guigal.

Although the style at Porter Creek has remained true to George’s original vision, one major change Alex made was the transition of their vineyards to biodynamic farming. Rigorous attention is paid both to the soil and the vines to ensure the entire vineyard is operating in harmony. The results are pure, balanced wines that speak strongly of their source, not just the hand that got them into the bottle.

The winery produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the 20-acre estate vineyard, and also purchases fruit for the Zinfandel, Carignane, Syrah, Viognier and a few other variety wines.

In the cellar, Alex uses about around 30% whole cluster on the Pinot Noirs, while the whites are direct pressed. Following a 3-4 day cold soak (for the Pinots), native yeasts are used for fermentation which happens outdoors in stainless steel tanks. Aging is done in 25-30% new oak.