Belvedere Estate BELVEDERE Chardonnay Healdsberg Ranches Sonoma County California

The Sonoma County Chardonnay comes from two of the most revered grape growing sites in California, the Alexander and Russian River Valleys. Though these two northern Sonoma appellations lie only a few miles apart

An intriguing blend of rich, ripe, brambly fruit with complex herbal, chocolate and blackberry accents. Fleshy, yet well balanced with ripe tannins and a savoury finish showing touches of toast from barrel maturation. (12 x 75 cl)

Belvedere Winery specialises in artisinal wines from Northern Sonoma vineyards. For 15 years the owners of Belvedere, the Hambrecht family, have been searching out the best sites to produce wines with a real sense of place. As many of today's wines become increasingly indistinct, Belvedere has made a commitment to produce wines of focus and individuality. Three of California's most remarkable grape-growing sites surround Healdsburg, the location of the Belvedere winery. Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley all lie within 15 minutes of each other yet offer dramatically different micro-climates and are farmed accordingly, matching varieties to locations. This wine was sourced from the cooler sites of the Russian River Valley, and is extremely well balanced with restrained peachy fruit showing hints of vanilla and spice. A crisp, minerally core of fruit provides the backbone whilst the creamy, toasty flavours are the result of barrel fermentation and maturation. A complex and very food friendly wine. (12 x 75 cl)

Belvedere Estate RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY Chardonnay California from USA, California, Russian River Valley by Belvedere Vineyards & Winery Healdsburg CA

TASTING NOTES Very pretty aromas of jasmine and rose petal come quickly back to more expected tropical fruits like pineapple, mango and a bit of pear. Roasted hazelnut is joined with nougat and almond butter, finishing with a touch of lime and lichee. The wine is medium weight, clean with a wonderful acid backbone with a lingering, memorable finish with hints of minerality and a touch of strawberry. (12 x 75 cl)

Belvedere Winery specialises in artisinal wines from Northern Sonoma vineyards. For 15 years the owners of Belvedere, the Hambrecht family, have been searching out the best sites to produce wines with a real sense of place. As many of today's wines become increasingly indistinct, Belvedere has made a commitment to produce wines of focus and individuality. Three of California's most remarkable grape-growing sites surround Healdsburg, the location of the Belvedere winery. Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley all lie within 15 minutes of each other yet offer dramatically different micro-climates and are farmed accordingly, matching varieties to locations. This care and attention to detail has produced a rich full bodied wine with intense flavours of blackberry jam, raspberries, spice and chocolate. Well balanced and massively concentrated, this wine shows great toasty complexity and a long savoury finish. (12 x 75 cl)

Complex, elegant and rich, this Chardonnay displays a skillful balance between power and finesse. The wine exhibits a nose of pears, apples and mango with a touch of clove and spice on the finish. We recommend enjoying this wine with foods such as grilled salmon in lemon and butter, served with foie gras and Roquefort cheese. Serve slightly chilled . VINEYARDS The grapes came from one of our family vineyards, Laguna Ranch, located in Sonoma County. Sonoma County is situated 100 km north of San Francisco, west of Napa, and alongside the Pacific Ocean. In the centre region of Sonoma County lies Russian River Valley, where Laguna Ranch Vineyard rests in the benchlands. Originally planted in the late 1800s, the vineyard is located in climatic Region I . Soils are a combination of gravelly and sandy loam, referred to as Sebastopol series. The fog coming from the Pacific Ocean lingers in this area throughout the day, making it one of the coolest regions of Sonoma County. Chardonnay grapes grown in this region develop the right balance between crisp acidity and concentrated citrus, apple and pear flavours and aromas. HARVEST With a heritage of three generations in Sonoma, our family firmly believes that ''great wines start with great grapes.'' To intensify the true varietal character of the grapes, shoots were thinned from the vines and leaves were removed by hand during the growing season. From September 3 to 5, 100% of the grapes were hand harvested while the sugar levels were at an average of 23.4 Brix. WINEMAKING Grapes for our wine were sent in whole clusters to a membrane press, bypassing the crusher to reduce the potential for bitter tannin extraction. In addition, this wine contains press juice that was collected for cool fermentation and aged for an average of 18.9 months in European barrels . A portion of the wine was allowed to ferment solely on indigenous yeasts , giving additional complexity to its bouquet, flavour and body. The wine completed malolactic fermentation and sur lie aging to impart a silky, elegant texture. The unfined, unfiltered wine was bottled in May of at our Sonoma Winery. (6 x 75 cl)

Sonoma-Cutrer LES PIERRES Chardonnay Sonoma Valley California from USA, California, Sonoma Valley by Sonoma-Cutrer (6 x 75 cl)

This wine has a nice pale gold color and a golden delicious apple and papaya nose with touches of crème brulee from the barrel fermentation. It has a medium body and flavors that echo the nose with tropical fruits, apple and hints of vanilla. The wine finishes pleasantly with malt flavors and nice acidity. This Chardonnay is uncommonly food-friendly in style due to its partial Malo-Lactic fermentation and a delicate oak combination. Enjoy this wine with lobster bisque or crab cakes. (12 x 75 cl)