2017 PENCE RANCH SANTA RITA HILLS CHARDONNAY Winery Notes: "This is our fifth Chardonnay produced from our vineyard and is a massale selection of six different clonal selections. The vines are north-facing so they receive less sunlight, and are grown in a mixture of ocean sedimentary soils including diatomaceous and calcareous. These ocean fossil soils provide an intriguing mineral and saline thread to the wine. Chardonnay from our region delivers some of the finest examples in California because our climate is like "refrigerated-sunlight". This results from the bright sunshine we enjoy throughout the growing season, competing again the cold winds coming from the Pacific Ocean. It is this dichotomy that creates beautiful Chardonnay that has both citrus freshness and richer flavor akin to something more decadent like a mix of Meyer Lemon, Yuzu and Lemon oil. During vinification, we approach the wine within Sashi Moorman's aesthetic of conservative yet strategic use of new French oak and no lees-stirring, producing magical white wines that are profound, thought-provoking, age-worthy (5+ years), minerally and food-friendly. Barrel fermented as native yeast and aged in 25% new French oak puncheons for 16 months"