Hanzell Vineyards - "Sebella" Chardonnay 2015

Price: $37.99

Producer	Hanzell Vineyards
Country	United States
Region	California
Subregion	Sonoma Valley
Varietal	Chardonnay
Vintage	2015
Sku	P-28179

About the Winery:

Ambassador James D. Zellerbach founded Hanzell Vineyards in 1953 with a vision to create wines that could compete on the world stage. Named after his wife Hana, Hanzell sits at the southern toe of the Mayacamas mountain range overlooking the south-western end of Sonoma Valley and San Pablo Bay. After extensive time spent in Burgundy, Zellerbach returned inspired and educated by the region’s wines and grapes—Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. He then planted these two varieties at a time when there were less than a few hundred acres of each planted in North America. There are six different vineyards on the property, including some Pinot Noir still standing from the original 1953 planting, deeming it one of the very oldest plantings in the region.

Since 1975, Hanzell has been owned and managed by the de Brye family, who is dedicated to the preservation of tradition with a progressive and sustainable approach to ensure the health of the land. In 2014, Jason Jardine took over as Hanzell’s President and Director of Winemaking. Jason has an impressive resume which started with an internship at Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Cellars at the ripe age of 21. He later moved on to manage the vineyards at Soter, took the reigns at Rhys Vineyards, helped Flowers convert to full biodynamics and last came to Hanzell to help the farm realize its dream of becoming fully sustainable and biologically independent. Alongside vines, one will find pigs and chickens roaming through the fields, a fully productive garden that feeds the Hanzell staff yearround and not a trace of any chemical or pesticide in sight. All the wines are sourced from the estate and the estate is farmed following the “bio approach” which makes use of a natural nutrient cycle. The soils are primarily volcanic with a thin layer of red clay on top and the vine age is attributable to being planted on St. George rootstock, which is resistant to phylloxera.

About the Wine:

Sebella is the blended name of Ambassador Zellerbach’s two children Sebastian and Isabella and the first vintage was produced in 2009. This vintage’s accumulated effects of a record fourth straight year of drought combined with cold and damp weather during bloom conspired to produce very shy yields. The growing season was relatively mild with typically warm afternoons and very cool nights producing fruit of great intensity and finesse.

This wine is crafted from the younger vines on the estate along with fruit from like-minded growers in the cooler regions of Sonoma County. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in neutral French oak for three to six months; Hanzell restricts the malolactic fermentation. Lifted floral aromas of orange blossom and honey suckle complement the pear, golden delicious apple, white peach, kumquat and pink grapefruit fruit aromas. The flavors on the palate echo the nose, with the addition of lemon zest, wet graphite and a slight tropical note. The entry on the palate is broad and rich, balanced by bright acidity.

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