Chardonnay
This wine comes from grapes grown on the “Y” Block at Bien Nacido Vineyard. “Y” Block is one of the older chardonnay blocks at Bien Nacido. It’s located on the gravelly river banks of the Cuyama River, just opposite the winery. Qupé is the only winery that gets these grapes.
2005 was an outstanding vintage in every way. A long cool growing season followed by perfect ripening weather in the Fall. We started picking “Y” Block on September 16 (2 to 2½ weeks late than the warm 2004 and 2003 vintages) at 22.0° brix, 3.27 pH and 8.6 acidity. Most of this first pick went into our Bien Nacido Cuvee – Chardonnay/Viognier blend. We picked again on: September 26 at 22.5°, 3.29 and 8.2; October 6 at 24.6°, 3.26 and 7.5; and finished on October 17 at 25.5°, 3.43 and 6.9.
I ran off all of those number to illustrate what an ideal vintage 2005 was… we harvested the grapes over a month’s time… we got plenty of juice in early, with lower alcohol and great acidity to balance the later, riper lots that give the wine its lush body and aromatics.
The grapes were whole cluster pressed, the juice chilled overnight, then transferred to barrels for fermentation. We generally only use French oak for chardonnay (for that matter our other wines too), but in 2005 we ran short of barrels and had to scramble to buy more barrels. For this wine we used about 25% new François Frères French oak, 6% Canton Cooperage Polish oak and 4% François Frères Hungarian oak barrels. The result is a bit more new oak than we usually use.
The wine went through malo in the barrel and was aged on the lees for 9 months. 4,800 cases were bottled in June 2006.
This is a beautifully balanced chardonnay – I like to
call it “chardonnay you can drink.” The aromas are classic Bien Nacido with
hints of citrus, pear, guava and cream, nicely balanced by the toasty oak.
The flavors exhibit some minerality and, again, great balance. Drink this
over the next 2-3 years, or, with good cellaring, don’t be afraid to put it
down for 8-10 years.
Craig's Comments
Qupé Wine Cellars is located on the Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria, California. Qupé shares a production facility with Jim Clendenen from Au Bon Climat, and together they have a production and sales support staff. Jim Adelman is the General Manager and also shares winemaking duties. Once a year, during harvest, visiting winemakers and wine professionals with various backgrounds (many from different states and countries) in the wine business come to work with Bob and Jim at the winery to share techniques and ideas.Focusing on fruit grown in the Central Coast Appellation of California, Qupé produces Rhone varietals and Chardonnay. A majority of Qupé’s wines (about 50%) are made from grapes grown on the Bien Nacido Vineyard, where the Syrah and Chardonnay are planted and grown to Bob’s specifications. In addition to Bien Nacido, Qupé also farms (using organic practices) a 14 acre vineyard in Los Olivos called “Ibarra-Young Vineyard.” The balance of the Qupé wines are made from grapes grown at various vineyards in the Central Coast appellation of California. Bob and his wife Louisa have recently purchased an 80 acre vineyard site in the Edna Valley which they began planting in the spring of 2005. This vineyard will be developed and farmed under the rigorous principles of Biodynamic Farming.