FRANK FAMILY
2017 Chardonnay, Napa Valley

Best of Class & Double Gold - West Coast Wine Competition - Feb 2019
Gold Medal - San Francisco Chronicle - Jan 2019
Gold Medal - New World International - Feb 2019

TASTING NOTES
This wine appears light straw in the glass with aromas of toasted brioche, baking spices, and candied lemon rind. On the palate, the Carneros Chardonnay is full-bodied and creamy yet balanced by lively acidity; with nuanced flavors of yellow apple, lemon curd, baked pear, melon, and subtle hints of oak toast.

VINEYARDS
The foundation for the 2017 Carneros Chardonnay is Frank Family’s Lewis Vineyard, located in the heart of Napa-Carneros, near the shores of the San Pablo Bay.  It is made up of 78 acres planted on gently rolling hills, with 68 acres planted to Chardonnay and 10 acres planted to Pinot Noir. The predominant maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean creates the cool temperature, fog and wind that make Carneros ideally suited for growing cool climate varietals. The Lewis Vineyard consists primarily of shallow and dense clay loam soils, receiving only 20 inches of rainfall annually. The restricting soils result in extremely low yields, producing grapes with strong character and balanced acidity. Other fruit sources for this wine include Beckstoffer Vineyards and Hudson Vineyards located in Napa-Carneros, and Sangiacomo Vineyards located in Sonoma-Carneros.

COOPERAGE
Barrel fermented in 34% new, 33% once and 33% twice-filled French oak barrels for 9 months. While ageing on the lees, the wine was hand stirred regularly to promote depth and longevity.

Vintage:  2017
Varietal Composition:  100% Chardonnay
Appellation:  100% Carneros - 76% Napa, 24% Sonoma
Harvest Date:  September 2nd - October 1st, 2017
Bottled: July 2017
Acid:  0.64 g/100ml
pH:  3.52
Aging:  Barrel fermented in 34% new, 33% once and 33% twice-filled French oak barrels for 9 months. While ageing on the lees, the wine was hand stirred regularly to promote depth and longevity.
Alcohol:  14.4%
Wine Maker:  Todd Graff

Tasting Notes  PDF

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Frank Family Vineyards wines are produced in small quantities and currently sold only at the winery and a handful of select restaurants and wine shops. A visit to the winery is not complete without a story-filled tour or at least a walk through the historic building where the thick, stone walls, high-stacked barrels and rich bouquet of aging wines create the utmost in winery ambience. The winery provides separate tasting areas for sparkling wines and still wines. Just outside, to the south of the building, visitors are welcome to sit under the giant oak trees, relax at the wooden picnic tables and enjoy spectacular vineyard views.

Learn more at www.frankfamilyvineyards.com.

As a reminder, due to legal restrictions on shipments of wine and other alcoholic beverages, we are only permitted to ship to the following states: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.