Frog's Leap "Shale and Stone" Napa Valley Chardonnay 2022

The grapes for this classically structured Chardonnay come from the renowned Truchard vineyard, planted in 1979. "Shale and Stone" is reflective of the deep minerality of the vineyard's ancient fractured shale soils and the freshness of the varietal. With long sur lie aging in concrete, this wine is taut but generous, and full yet bright on the palate. Vibrant acidity, precise, crisp flavors of ripe apple, lemon pith and wet stone, a mouthfeel without weight, all with intriguing aromas of toasted hazelnuts, cream and white peaches. The freshness and purity lean towards austerity but are balanced by bright flavor and a light spice accent for an energetic and restrained white wine.

Pressed whole cluster with a couple hours of skin contact. After settling overnight, the juice was allowed to just barely begin its fermentation in tank, then was immediately racked to brand-new French oak barrels, where they spent their most active phase of fermentation, typically lasting five days. Then racked to a large stainless-steel lined concrete tank, where primary fermentation finished over the next several weeks. No lees stirring occurred, and no sulfur was added to the tank until bottling the following summer, after the wine had finished its malolactic fermentation naturally.

First certified by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) in 1988, Frog’s Leap has chosen to farm organically for nearly four decades, secure in the knowledge that healthy soils produce healthy vines, and that healthy vines produce vibrant, flavorful fruit. All of their estate vineyards are farmed without irrigation, and roughly ten percent of their farmable land is committed to alternative crops including fruit and olive orchards and edible gardens. Traditional landscaping quickly gives way to native habitat and hedgerows in an effort to create and foster biodiversity.