Our Chardonnay has firmly adopted a style some describe as International, with less oak aging and a deliberate attempt to emphasize the freshness and crispness of our stellar organic fruit from Mendocino County. Most of the grapes for Bonterra’s Chardonnay are harvested along a 12-mile corridor near the banks of the Russian River, and year after year offer characteristic green apple, baked apple, pear and citrus notes in the wine. There’s a touch of vanilla from the dollop of new French Oak. An initial impression of rich, buttery cream quickly turns to aromas of honey and lightly toasted almonds, followed quickly by tropical aromas of pineapple, citrusy lemon and Crème Brûlée. The wine is refreshing on the palate, with a minerality that is both bright and clean, seductively drawing you into a vibrant tartness and lemon zest that is absolutely, positively Bonterra Chardonnay.

Wine maker notes

Most of the grapes for Bonterra’s Chardonnay are harvested along a 12-mile corridor near the banks of the Russian River, and year after year offer characteristic green apple, baked apple, pear and citrus notes in the wine. There’s a touch of vanilla from the dollop of new French Oak. An initial impression of rich, buttery cream quickly turns to aromas of honey and lightly toasted almonds, followed quickly by tropical aromas of pineapple, citrusy lemon and Crème Brûlée.

Technical notes

Varietal Content Chardonnay, with light touches of Viognier, Roussanne and Muscat Principally Clone 4 and Clones 17/352/809 on a variety of rootstocks. Clone 96 produces rich baked apple characters in the wine. Aging & Fermentation During fermentation, 30% of the wine is retained in stainless steel to heighten the expression of the fruit, while the remaining 70% is barrel fermented. Some 60% of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and remains in oak for four months in small oak barrels, with 10% of the wine in new French oak barrels, 15% in once-used French and American oak barrels, and the remainder in mostly neutral French and American oak. Coopers included Francois Frères, Siruge and Rousseau.

Food pairing

Filet of sole almandine, butternut squash soup and corn chowder, creamy polenta, crab or shrimp in chardonnay cream sauce, baby greens with toasted almonds, dry jack cheese and lemon zest vinaigrette, roast chicken, crab cakes, seafood salad.

Producer

At Bonterra, we take our cues from the land and the fruit. We let them tell us what to do. Our holistic approach to winemaking took root in 1987 when we were experimenting with wine and food pairings. The fruits, vegetables and herbs we used came from our extensive organic garden. The purity, intensity and freshness of the flavors were amazing. From that point on, we committed ourselves to growing grapes organically. Over the years, we’ve evolved our philosophy based on what we know works. Today our vineyard is an environment of incredible diversity: soil, plants and animals work together to create a web of natural balance where all the elements thrive. Decades of learning and winemaking accolades have reinforced our passionate belief that our organic grapes make better wine.