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Wine is a wondrous thing. Every year our wine is
made from the same vineyards, pruned by the same
people in the same way, cultivated in exactly the
same manner and harvested at similar levels of maturity,
yet Mother Nature stamps each vintage with a unique
set of flavors, senses and character. Vintage dating
is a celebration of that uniqueness and diversity.
Our 2003 Chardonnay expresses the uniqueness of
the 2003 growing season. The resulting wine is a
classically structured Chardonnay in both aroma and
mouth feel. This Chardonnay is very stylish and reminiscent
of a white Burgundy, but without that austerity that
so many California Chardonnays get when they lack
flavor. This wine is full of flavor. And most important,
what the wine promises in the aroma it delivers exactly
on the palate---as a great wine should.
Smith-Madrone’s Chardonnay is grown at the
top of Spring Mountain (1,900-foot elevation), west
of St. Helena in the Napa Valley. The vines
are planted on very steep slopes (up to 35% slope)
in red volcanic soil. The vines receive only
the rain that Mother Nature lets fall from the sky,
forcing the vines to send their roots deep into the
mountain soil in search of moisture. This centuries
old method of farming wine grapes, known today as
dry farming, creates a grape with intense flavor,
structure, and finesse.
At Smith-Madrone our goal is to make artisanal wines
which are distinctive and are an expression of both
the vintage and us, as vintners, but above all else,
are wines which bring pleasure to the senses.
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AGE OF VINES:
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32 years |
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APPELLATION:
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Napa Valley |
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SUB-APPELLATION:
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Spring Mountain District |
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FARMING:
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dry-farmed mountain vineyards |
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VARIETAL CONTENT:
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100% Chardonnay |
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FERMENTATION:
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100% barrel-fermented |
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TIME IN OAK:
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11 months |
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ALCOHOL:
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14.2% |
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PRODUCTION:
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56 barrels |
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CASES:
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1,340 |
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WINEMAKERS & WINEGROWERS:
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CHARLES SMITH & STUART SMITH |
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