Fritz Winery
2017 Chardonnay
, Russian River Valley
A tantalizing array of aromas and flavors. Pale golden in color it entices with aromas of green apple, citrus blossoms, pear and hints of vanilla bean. This medium bodied Chardonnay is silky on the palate with bright acidity and a rich, creamy texture flavors of apricot, baked pear and citrus rounding out the palate. Thoroughly satisfying!
Tasting Notes
Minerally richness accents the green apple, citrus, and gooseberry flavors, supported by zesty acidity. The savory finish is crunchy and features hints of anise.
Winemaking
The grapes for this 2017 Chardonnay were whole cluster pressed to bring out the inherent varietal characteristics of the fruit. The juice then underwent native barrel fermentation in 30% new French Oak.
Analysis
Varietal: Chardonnay
Appellation: Russian River Valley
Harvest Date: October 2017
Aging: 30% new French oak for 10 months
Alcohol: 14.3%
Production: 800 cases
Tasting Notes 
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Ahead of their Time... In the late 1970s their winemaking facility was built into the side of a picturesque hill atop the northernmost region of the famed Dry Creek Valley. Arthur Fritz, designed the facility with an incredible foresight. They operate with a modern sensibility for efficiency and awareness by utilizing the unique attributes of our subterranean design. Fortunate that naturally cool temperatures, ideal for winemaking and cellaring, are maintained without any use of expensive or carbon-heavy devices common to most modern wine production! What's more... as a three-tiered structure, they're able to further cut down on energy usage by capitalizing on the always plentiful presence of gravity. By harnessing gravity to move juice from the crush pad down to the tanks and barrels, not only saving energy by forgoing pumps, also saving our precious juice from the detrimental effects of excessive pulsation and buffeting. It's in this way that the delicate nuances present in thier Zinfandels, Chardonnay, Pinot Noirs and other prized estate fruit is maintained. This imperishable masterpiece represents a viticultural passion for sustainability, quality and tradition.
Learn more at www.fritzwinery.com.
