WINEMAKER NOTES

This luscious Chardonnay opens up with notes of honey, vanilla bean, and candied almonds. Dried mango and kumquat follow this initial impression, lingering on the palate. Bright acidity and a smooth finish with a hint of oak add balancing depth to the wine’s intense flavors. Drinks beautifully now but will age gracefully for years to come.

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 eleven months with twice-monthly lees stirring (bâtonnage) for the first five months to enhance texture and complexity. This Chardonnay undergoes 100% malolactic fermentation to round out its acidity and mouthfeel.

FRUIT SOURCE: BACIGALUPI VINEYARD

The Bacigalupi Vineyard first 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 award-winning Chardonnay came from the legendary Bacigalupi Vineyard, which has been owned and managed by the Bacigalupi family since 1956. Located just south of Healdsburg in the Russian River Valley's west side, warm days for ripening and cool nights for preservation of acidity ensure balance and quality.

VINTAGE NOTES

2022 was a difficult growing season toward the end, with record-breaking temperatures in September that climbed into the triple digits. Through careful vine management and irrigation techniques, however, we were still able to produce phenomenal fruit with sumptuous, deeply concentrated flavors.

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.