Peirano Estate Vineyards Chardonnay
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Sourced from their estate in the heart of the Lodi Appellation, the fruit for this Chardonnay was hand selected and hand picked.
- Peirano employs a dual harvest technique with the Chardonnay. Half of the block is harvested in mid to late August, when the fruit still has firm acids. The other half is picked from 3-4 weeks later, when the grapes are bursting with sugars.
Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Elaboration: This Chardonnay is barrel aged in French and American oak barrels, 15% of which is new wood. Lees were stirred every two weeks once fermentation was complete, allowing the wine to gain complexity and structure.
Tasting Notes: The vibrant color and aromas of fresh picked pears, ripe melon, and yellow apples instantly fill your senses and are complemented by hints of toast and spices. The mouth fills with complex flavors of sweet, rich, red and yellow apples, juicy sweet honeydew melons and baked apple pie. Soft hints of spice and vanilla round out the wine to produce a very seductive, lingering finish.
PRESS
2017 – 90 Wine Enthusiast
2018 – 90 Jerry Mead’s New World Intl. Wine Competition | GOLD San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
2022 – 90 Wine Enthusiast “Best Buy”
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
The man in the awesome red shorts is Lance Randolph, and he is on a mission. His mission is to make the best wine to ever come out of the Lodi Appellation. Lance’s great grandfather, Giacomo Peirano, arrived in San Francisco in 1879 from his home in Genoa, Italy. By 1881, he started farming in Lodi, and year by year he steadily gained a place for himself pioneering vineyard and orchard development. Planted in the early 1880’s, Peirano Estate was one of the first vineyards in Lodi. Located in the very heart of the Lodi Appellation (granted in 1986), Peirano Estate Vineyards grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Viognier, Barbera, Petite Sirah, and has perhaps the largest single block of old, head-trained, natural rooted Zinfandel left in the state of California.
Nestled between the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Lodi has an ideal Mediterranean climate with deep, rich, sandy-loam soils and abundant quality water. These factors combine to make Lodi a major producer of quality wine grapes. Beginning with the hard work and inspiration of Giacomo Peirano, five generations have grown and harvested grapes from these vineyards for over 100 consecutive years.