2022 Lindquist Family Bien Nacido Chardonnay
This wine is 95% Chardonnay from the Bien Nacido Vineyard, 3% Chardonnay from the Reeves Vineyard in the Edna Valley and 2% Marsanne from the Ibarra-Young Vineyard in the Los Olivos District. The Bien Nacido Chardonnay comes from Block 18, a block that was planted for us in 2005, right behind the winery. The soil is gravelly, sandy river bench soil with excellent drainage.
2022 was a warmer than normal vintage, with an unprecedented heat wave that started on Labor Day Weekend and lasted for 9 straight days! Luckily, we started picking the first lot of Chardonnay at 22.2° brix on September 1st before the heat wave started. The second lot was picked on the 7th and the brix had already jumped to 23.4°, even with the drip going to sustain the vines in the heat. The final lot was picked 24.5° brix on October 4th, long after the heat wave had passed, and after the vines had recovered.
All of the grapes were whole cluster pressed, the juice chilled in a tank overnight, and then transferred to barrel the next day for complete barrel fermentation. About 25% new and 20% one year old barrels, all Francois Freres French oak Burgundy barrels were used, with all of the new oak employed in the first lot. The wine was aged on the lees for 10 months, and went through complete malo in the barrel. The small components of Reeves Chardonnay and the Marsanne were added when the wine was racked and blended in preparation for bottling. These were both really nice components, and allowed us to bottle a few more cases of Bien Nacido Chardonnay at the legal 95% level!
This wine very much speaks of the warm 2022 vintage, with a little softer acidity than the 2021, and with a little more forward fruit. It has classic Bien Nacido aromas of apples, tropical fruits and hints of citrus, all wrapped up with some creamy new oak aspects. 640 cases were bottled in August 2023.
Bob Lindquist
February 2024
*94 Wine Enthusiast
