Chalone Vineyard

2004 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay

My new wine pick is a 2004 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay. This Chardonnay comes from the Chalone Appellation of California's Monterey County.

The 2004 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay, rated 87-points by Wine Spectator, is medium-light golden yellow, earthy, herbal, green apple aroma with mineral like notes. The flavor is medium intensity with a light, smokey, cedary oak, ripe pear, melon and apple flavors with a hint of mango. It has low tannin, medium body and is very dry. I like this Chardonnay with lightly smoked or grilled dishes that will enhance the flavors imparted by the oak barrels. One of my favorites is a grilled, herb marinated Sea Bass on a bed of white beans and sautéed spinach. The firm acidity in the wine highlights the herbal components of the dish and echoes the earthly character in the wine, while heightening the sweetness of the fish. For those of you who know me also know that I truly enjoy this Chardonnay all by itself too... It retails for between $14-20 or $45-60 in a restaurant or $12-15 per glass.

The 2004 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay is made entirely from fruit grown on their estate vineyard. The 2004 Chardonnay is an extremely fine and delicate with aromas of stone, fruit and brioche. Ten months of sur lie aging (Sur lie literally translates from the French as 'on lees', lees being the yeasty residue remaining in the cask after fermentation. 'Sur lie' wines are bottled directly from the lees without racking, a process for filtering the wine, giving an added freshness and creaminess to the wine.) in 100% French oak barrels gives texture and imparts complex aromas of vanilla and hazelnut. As is typical of Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay, the acidity is firm and bright and the wine posses a lot of mineral flavor from the unique limestone site. The Winemaker says this is an age-worthy Chardonnay (3-7 years), ”I like to call Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay the white wine for red wine drinkers.“

Perched high in the remote Gavilan Mountain Range, 1,800 feet above Salinas Valley, Chalone Vineyard is a one-of-a-kind wine estate. This is extreme wine country with rare limestone soils, limited rainfall and wide diurnal temperature swings. The unique terroir produces wines that impart a subtle mineral character with compelling fruit and richness. By California standards, Chalone Vineyard's grape yields are small (less than three tons per acre), but the grapes from this vineyard achieve homogeneity of ripeness and display intense, hedonistic character and superb balance

The 2004 vintage started out with warm weather in January and March, leading to early bud break; however, this did not result in an early harvest. Spring and summer were relatively mild, providing the gradual development of deep and even flavors. Harvest began in September, with warm temperatures giving great ripeness and fruit character. The 2004 vintage produced 24,777 cases with 14.2% alcohol content.

Chalone Vineyards History

The oldest producing vineyard in Monterey County, Chalone Vineyard rests on the Gavilan Mountain Range on the north slope of Chalone Peak. At 1,800 feet, the quiet splendor of the vineyards overlooks spectacular views of the wide-open Salinas Valley, made famous by local author John Steinbeck. The vineyard's name comes from the peak, which derives its name from that of the indigenous Costanoan Indian tribe, the Chalone, or Chollen Indians.

1919: The first planting

The first viticultural activity began shortly after the turn of the 20th century when Charles Tamm, wandering California in search of soil similar to that of his native Burgundy, stumbled upon the property that is now Chalone. In 1919 Tamm planted what is today the oldest producing Chenin Blanc in Monterey County. During Prohibition, the grapes were sold to wineries making sacramental wines.

1946: Expansion

In 1946 the vineyard now called "The Lower Vineyard," was planted by Will Silvear with more Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, and he added Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir. Silvear made some wine in Watsonville (we have an empty bottle of "Silvear's Light Wine," that was found in a rubble pile). He also sold grapes to the Wente family and Georges de Latour at Beaulieu in Napa. Mr. Silvear died in 1955 and his wife continued to operate the vineyard for a while, finally selling it to Dr. Liska and Mr. Sigman. They operated the vineyard for several years.

1960: Chalone label introduced

The first wine produced under the Chalone label was made in 1960 by Philip Togni, in what had been a brooding shed for chickens. Daily trips to Salinas for ice, which at that time was an hour and a half away, provided the cooling needed for the wine cellar.

1964: Dick Graff

In 1964, Dick Graff, a Harvard music graduate and former naval officer, tasted a Windsor Vineyard wine made from Chalone grapes. He was immediately entranced and after visiting the remote winery, was determined to own Chalone. In 1965 Dick embarked on what has now become a part of California winemaking and viticultural history, attending University of California, Davis to learn winemaking and then he and his mother, Estelle, saved the Chalone property from imminent bankruptcy. Almost single-handedly, Dick was responsible for introducing California winemakers to the intricacies of malolactic fermentation in white wines as well as the now widespread practice of fermenting and aging white wine in small oak barrels. He was also one of the first persons to import and sell barrels from Burgundy in the United States.

1970s: Chalone Grows

By 1970 Chalone was planting more vineyards. In 1971 Dick was joined by Phil Woodward, a fellow wine enthusiast, who was working for the accounting firm of Touche Ross and Company. As president, Phil took over the financial and marketing aspects of running the winery and, together they began what became the Chalone Wine Group. In 1973, winemaking moved from the chicken shed to a new building just above the former winery. In the meantime, two of Dick's brothers, John and Peter, each served a stint as winemaker.

1980s: The 20th century finally arrives.

In 1984, caves were created to store Pinot Noir but conditions were still rustic. The sole means of communications was a radiotelephone in one of the pickup trucks, power came from one of several generators and water was carried up 3,000 gallons at a time by truck. In 1986, the company strung its own utility lines and constructed its own eight-mile long pipeline to bring water to the winery.

1998: A new beginning

Dan Karlsen joined Chalone as winemaker and began an extensive updating program in the vineyard. Under Dan's direction, much of the vineyard was replanted using the latest research on rootstocks and clones for the site and the entire vineyard was retrellised. For the first time at Chalone, Syrah was planted.

Today the Chalone estate is comprised of almost 1,000 contiguous acres, of which nearly 310 are planted to vines. It is the only winery in the Chalone appellation. Although the estate has grown, as has our winemaking and viticultural expertise, our unique terroir remains unchanged.

Cheers!

Eddie Nickell

Tasters Guild Orlando