Joel Gott Barrel Aged Chardonnay

Joel Gott Barrel Aged Chardonnay is sourced fruit from the larger North Coast and Central Coast AVAs. Fruit from the cooler, marine-influenced Petaluma Gap and Russian River AVAs add minerality, acidity and citrus notes to the blend. Fruit from vineyards in the Arroyo Seco region, one of the smallest AVAs within Monterey, offers bright fruit flavors and well-balanced acidity. Within the larger Santa Barbara AVA, fruit from Santa Rita Hills experiences foggy mornings with warmer afternoons adding crisp, clean minerality and stone fruit flavors while warmer inland vineyards in the Santa Maria and Los Olivos AVAs add structure and concentration. Sourcing from these varied regions helps to create an elegant, fruit forward and balanced wine. Across California in 2021, the growing season was long and even, with a dry winter and mild spring temperatures. A warm summer with no heat spikes was followed by mild temperatures in the fall, allowing us to pick our fruit in August. These conditions produced smaller, more concentrated fruit clusters resulting in great flavor and acidity making for a complex and well-balanced wine. After harvest, the fruit was fermented in 50% new French oak barrels and 50% one & two-year-old French oak barrels for 6–8 months to add complexity to the wine yielding a rich, gently oaked Chardonnay.