WINEMAKER NOTES

The 2020 Bacigalupi Chardonnay begins with aromas of pear, Gravenstein apples, crème brulee, and honeysuckle. The palate showcases light mineral tones, stone fruit, pear, and honeydew melon and our soft oak treatment brings hints of vanilla and butterscotch. This wine will age beautifully for the next 7-10 years.

WINEMAKING TECHNIQUES

Our grapes are hand-picked at dawn and delivered cool and firm to the winery. The fruit is then hand sorted and whole-cluster pressed directly into 30% new French oak barrels for fermentation with a combination of native and cultured yeasts. The wine is aged for 11 months with twice monthly lees stirring for the first 5 months to enhance texture and complexity. This Chardonnay undergoes 100% malolactic fermentation to round out its acidity.

FRUIT SOURCE: BACIGALUPI VINEYARD

Bacigalupi rose to prominence after the 1976 Paris Tasting, when the 1973 Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay triumphed over many acclaimed French wines in a professional blind tasting. 40% of the fruit for that winning wine came from Bacigalupi Vineyard. Located just south of Healdsburg in Russian River Valley's west side, warm days for ripening and cool nights for preservation of acidity ensure balance and quality. This legendary vineyard has been owned and managed by the Bacigalupi family since 1956.

VINTAGE NOTES

Despite the challenging circumstances of 2020, we relied on taylored and precise winemaking techniques to create our wines. Dry soils from successive years of drought, early bud break and warm temperatures delivered short yields. But the extra stress on the vines led to intense fruit flavors, which are evident in all of our wines. We were fortunate to pick all of our fruit with excellent natural balance between fruit character and acidity.

THE WINERY

Bailarín Cellars was created in 2014 by a collective of family and friends, each following their respective passions. Together, we focus on producing small lots of handcrafted wines from unique vineyard sources. We are proud to share the fruits of our labor and love with you.