Jewel UNOAKED Chardonnay Monterey California

Monterey County is quickly emerging as one of the best places in California to grow and produce Chardonnay.The region consistently rewards wine lovers with bright acidity, delicious tropical fruit flavors and creamy textures. Three vineyards provided the majority of the Chardonnay fruit including Terra Ventosa and Vina del Rey in Monterey County, near King City and Castle Coastal Vineyard in the cool Arroyo Seco region of Monterey County. The cool climate and well-drained soils of the Terra Ventosa Vineyard provide ideal conditions for growing Chardonnay, while Vina del Ray Vineyard, also a relatively cool area, produces Chardonnay with ripe citrus and floral aromas while maintaining nice acidity. After harvest, each vineyard lot was individually pressed; then 60% of the blend was cold-tank fermented to preserve the wine's natural vibrancy. Approximately, 40% was barrel fermented to add a layer of creamy complexity to the final blend. The wine was then aged in one-to-three-year-old American and French oak barrels to give the wine a nice toasty note on the finish. This Blackstone Monterey County Chardonnay shows aromas of light tropical fruit, lemon citrus with a touch of mineral notes and pleasing oak.This bright, well-balanced wine has a long, lingering finish. (6 x 75 cl)

An elegant, refined Chardonnay with a lot of fruit and balance and genuinely good value for California. (12 x 75 cl)

Jewel Viognier California from USA, California by Jewel Winery (12 x 75 cl)

Jewel OLD VINE Zinfandel California from USA, California by Jewel Winery (12 x 75 cl)

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The Riva Ranch Chardonnay is an exceptional balance between the characters of the fruit, the sur lie barrel ageing, and the malo-lactic fermentation. As usual, the fruit component of our Arroyo Seco Chardonnay is tropical in nature, with mango, papaya, and guava aromas surrounded by the vanilla, coconut, and toast of the barrel. Rounding out the wine is the subtle level of butter from the partial malo-lactic fermentation. (12 x 75 cl)

Roughly translated from the Spanish word for 'estate' Estancia's name emphasizes the founder's conviction that the world's best wines capture the essence of their place of origin. In 1986, Estancia purchased the former Paul Mason vineyard ranches in the Monterey town of Soledad to established it as the home of Estancia Winery and of cool climate varietals. The 1,200-acre Vineyard is situated on a frost-free benchland above Salinas Valley on California's Central Coast, in the Monterey town of Soledad. Cooled by morning and evening fog but far enough away from Monterey Bay to get a good daily dose of sun. The site is ideal for producing cooler climate varietals like Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, due to the Sandy, naturally parched soil that produces bright and concentrated flavours that are reflected so well in this wine. Today, Estancia's winemakers strive to combine the best of both worlds- a state of the art winemaking facility, and a traditional, hands-on approach to each grape they produce. In the end, this combination of technology and tradition allows Estancia to deliver the hand-crafted quality for which these wines are known. While the cutting-edge facilities enable Estancia to take advantage of the beneficial advances in winemaking technology. Finally, Estancia's commitment to old world processes results in the complexity and elegance found in artisanal and boutique wines. 100% Chardonnay this wine spends 8 months sur lie and 8 months in French and American oak, of which 20% is new each year. It is a medium gold coloured wine with aromas of Pear, passion fruit and fig with hints of hazelnut, fresh baked pie crust, lychee nut and vanillin. The ripe fruit aromas are evident on the palate as ripe pear, passionfruit, guava fig give way to the subtle nuances of oak, excellent concentration and lingering creamy mouthfeel culminating in a minral finish.

Melon, pineapple, and toasted oak figure predominately on the nose. Ripe flavors of pear, peach, and other stone fruit, up front turn, tropical as they wrap around the tongue. Pretty French oak flavors support the fruit. A wonderful mouth-feel, due to extended sur-lies aging, is suspended by a solid core of acidity. The fruit stays in the mouth long after the wine has slipped past the tongue. An excellent example of cool-climate Chardonnay. (12 x 75 cl)

The Burgundian winemaking techniques used in our Arroyo Vista Chardonnay, including alcoholic and malo-lactic fermentation in barrel with lees stirring and extended aging, amplify an already intensely viscous wine, generated from very low yields and a long and cool growing season. The complex and delicate aromas of peach and nectarine, lime zest, and white blossoms with vanilla and smoky toast from the barrel fermentation are complemented by an almost sweet, concentrated viscous texture that is balanced by the ample acidity for a palate freshening finish. (12 x 75 cl)