Hendry Blocks 9 & 21

My wine pick for this month happens to be one of my favorite Chardonnay’s… and it will soon be gone! Hendry Blocks 9 & 21. This is a very limited production Chardonnay from Napa Valley Producing only 950 cases for the 2002 vintage. I only know of two restaurants in the Orlando area that offer this great wine: Primo in the J.W. Marriott and Dux in the Peabody Orlando (I happen to be the Manager and Sommelier of Dux Restaurant).

Hendry Blocks 9 & 21 has concentrated ripe tropical fruit flavors of passion fruit and guava. There is substantial weight in the mouth with bright, acidity and a long, intense, ripe fruit and mineral finish. The French oak adds toast and nutmeg flavors which are integrated in the wine, adding an additional layer of complexity. The fruit, acid and spice are very well balanced and delicious. This is definitely a wine I recommend getting for your collection and enjoying for a special treat.

Hendry Blocks 9 & 21 is around $35 retail (if you can find it) or $65 - $70 in a restaurant. It is my opinion this is one of the best Chardonnay’s on the market and everyone should experience it. I believe this so strongly that I added this wine by the glass ($14 per glass) as well as by the bottle at Dux restaurant.

Here is some information on Hendry Vineyards and Blocks 9 & 21:

Hendry Blocks 9 & 21, located on the Hendry 115-acre vineyard, is on the bench lands between Napa Valley's Carneros and Mount Veeder viticulture (Latin for vine: viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes) districts. Hendry’s goal is to produce wines that reflect the different soils, microclimates, clones and rootstocks that define their individual vineyard blocks.

The vines grow on thin stony Boomer series soils between 190 and 225 feet above sea level. Morning fog and afternoon breezes from the San Pablo Bay moderate the climate. Block 9 was planted in 1974; Block 21 was planted in 1996. The vines are spaced 8' x 10' in the older Block 9 and 5' x 7' in Block 21. They are cordon trained (single stemmed vines with fruiting spurs planted at an angle. Any side branches are removed by pruning. Cordons take less space and crop earlier than most other forms which means that more varieties can be got into a small space, but yields are smaller per vine.) and spur pruned. Block 9 has an old, small cluster, "shot berry" field selection of Chardonnay, while Block 21 is the Old Wente selection. Both Blocks are grafted to St. George roots. A six-foot vertical trellis system supports the canopy. Average production is 2 tons per acre and harvest is normally between August 25 and September 4.

In 2002, median bud break occurred from March 10 through March 13. Median bloom was May 15 through May 22 and median veraison (the change from berry growth to berry ripening) was reached between May 15 and May 21. Harvest was September 4 through 8 with the yield of 2.2 tons per acre. Fermentation was sur lie (bottled directly from the lees without racking, a process for filtering the wine, giving an added freshness and creaminess to the wine) in French oak barrels; 50% were new. The wine was not allowed to go through malolactic fermentation (process of fermentation where tart malic acid is converted to softer-tasting lactic acid).

The alcohol content of Hendry Blocks 9 & 21, 2002 Chardonnay is 14.4%. With only 950-cases produced, this great wine will not be around much longer.

Cheers!

Eddie Nickell

Tasters Guild Orlando