Elegantly structured, this medium-bodied Chardonnay offers aromas of pear, pineapple, and crème brûlée.
On the palate, ripe fruit flavors of citrus, dried apricots and orange blossom are apparent, along with crisp acidity and a rich mid-palate weight that give the wine its complexity.
There was ample rainfall during the first half of the 2019 growing season to help maintain soil moisture.
The long summer was hot but with only a few heat waves and morning mists created the perfect conditions for producing lively, expressive wines.
The latter part of the growing season saw long periods of calm, some of which were unpredictable but ultimately helped to preserve the freshness and refinement of the fruit.
Overall, this was an excellent vintage with very well-developed fruit, crisp acidity and rich texture.
The grapes are harvested in the cool early morning hours to capture the peak of ripeness with fresh fruit flavors and balanced acidity.
First Press Chardonnay is harvested early to preserve the citrus and tropical fruit flavors and natural acidity.
Upon arrival at the winery, the whole bunches are gently pressed and the freshly pressed, cold juice is transferred to stainless steel tanks to rest overnight.
It is then transferred to American and French oak barrels for cold fermentation over several weeks.
This low-temperature fermentation results in a lively aroma, while malolactic fermentation on the lees gives the wine a rich, mellow mouthfeel.
After approximately 7 months of barrel aging, the wine is bottled.
In the old days, winemaking involved manually pressing the grapes using a wooden press.
If you head north from San Francisco, you can see a bronze statue of a farmer operating a press with his whole body on a hill at the entrance to Napa.
This first press is a high quality premium wine made from Napa Valley grapes.
Although it is carefully crafted using traditional methods, it is an attractively reasonable priced wine with excellent value for money.
This brand is part of Delicato Family Vineyards, which was named Winery of the Year in 2014.