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Pellet Estate - Chardonnay label
Pellet Estate - Chardonnay bottle

Pellet Estate - Chardonnay 2016

White Wine

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Item# 72313-16

Estate

Pellet Estate is a rare, authentically grown, and classically made wine. The Estate is a spectacular vineyard site in the small town of St. Helena, with a rich history dating back to 1859. Henry Pellet, one of the founding pioneers of Napa Valley winemaking, first planted this site with a vision of producing wines that would be among the best in the world. In 2005, owner Greg Krill and his wife Robin purchased 5 acres of this original historic property to found Pellet Estate . His first order of business was to pull out the existing vineyard and replant according modern practices of trellising, row orientation and vineyard management techniques. They then assembled a dream team to perfect every aspect including winemaker Tom Rinaldi, an icon in Napa Valley who was the founding winemaker for Duckhorn, Provenance & Hewitt to name a few.

Vineyard

Pellet Estate produces Chardonnay from the Sunchase Vineyard, and Cabernet Sauvignon from grapes grown exclusively in our historic Pellet Vineyard®, a site that has been producing grapes for over 150 years. The Pellet Vineyard’s origin begins in 1859, when pioneer winemaker Henry Alphonse Pellet was hired by John Patchett to make wine from his grapes near the city of Napa. Charles Krug had also begun to make wine in 1858, and Henry Pellet became the second commercial wine maker in Napa County. Formally established in 1863, the Pellet Vineyard was among the first vineyards in Napa Valley intended for producing grapes for wine for consumers at large, rather than family & friends. In 1863, Pellet purchased 45 acres of land south of the town of St. Helena next to his neighbor, Dr. G.B. Crane, and planted 38 acres in vineyards. Our label depicts the dawn of the age of electrification, the era when Pellet illuminated the path towards modern viticultural and winemaking methodology, and with it, the high quality and age-worthy wines that define Napa Valley.

Vinification

Harvested in early September from vineyards overlooking the Petaluma Gap, the fruit was picked in pristine condition. After hand sorting the grapes, the grapes were pressed wholecluster, releasing the juice that was racked to tank and allowed to cold settle for 24 hours. The juice was then inoculated with a yeast strain isolated from the Cote de Beaune, France and racked to 36 month-aged tight grain French Oak barrels for primary fermentation, followed by a very slow secondary Malolactic fer-mentation over the next 6 months. The lees were stirred regularly in the first five months, giving mouth feel and texture to the wine. This wine represents the finest and purest hand crafted expression of our chardonnay vineyard and while is beauti-ful to enjoy right away, it will benefit from extended cellaring into the next decade.