Description
Like all of our Decoy wines, our Decoy California Chardonnay benefits from the passion, skill and experience from The Duckhorn Portfolio team. Established more than 30 years ago by legendary vintners Dan and Margaret Duckhorn, our roots run deep at Decoy. From vine to bottle, we craft our wines to the highest standards, using grapes from exceptional vineyards, including from our own estate properties.
VINTAGE NOTES
The 2023 California growing season began with plentiful winter rains that revitalized the soils after several years of drought. Cool spring temperatures led to later ripening trends, running anywhere from two weeks to a month behind average. Decoy’s harvest kicked off on the North Coast with Sauvignon Blanc on September 7th, and we shifted into high gear towards late September when the weather warmed, bringing short heat waves that were followed by cooling trends. The October heat was a gift, pushing the grapes to optimum ripeness and phenological maturity. Harvest concluded on November 9th with Petit Verdot from the Central Coast. The longer growing season produced red wines with depth, plentiful texture and rich color, and white wines with delicate aromatics, breadth, and vibrant acidity, making 2023 an impressive harvest of outstanding quality.
WINEMAKING NOTES
This Chardonnay is a refreshing retreat, evoking a summer stroll through orchards in bloom with aromas of sweet mandarin and white peach. Each sip brings juicy and vibrant tropical fruit flavors with just a hint of oak from its time spent in barrel.
AVA: 42% Sonoma County, 30% Central Coast, 12% Mendocino, 8% Yolo County, 8% Other
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Aged 8 months in 100% French oak barrels 30% new, 70% neutral
