Clos Pegase '22 Carneros Napa Mitsuko Chardonnay

Shining straw gold in the glass, the 2022 Chardonnay opens with juicy aromas of apricot, ripe peach, honeysuckle and a touch of vanilla. The palate is silky smooth, with additional notes of crisp stone fruit perfectly balanced with persistent acidity. A fantastic food friendly Chardonnay, pair this with grilled peaches with goat cheese, mahi mahi tacos and fresh summer salads.

Picked in the early morning and delivered to the winery cold, the grapes were gently pressed. The juice settled for approximately 24 hours before being racked to tank to undergo a slow, cool fermentation. Using carefully selected yeast strains along with native fermentation, we allowed the wine to reach just beyond halfway through fermentation before racking to barrel; allowing the primary fermentation to finish in barrel. Using 30% new French oak, the wine underwent full malolactic conversion in our caves; during which time the wine was regularly stirred, increasing the mid-palate complexity. After approximately nine months, the barrels were blended and lightly filtered before bottling.

Mitsuko’s Vineyard, located south of Highway 121 in the cooler part of Napa Carneros, has proved to have an abundance of ideal sites for Chardonnay. Since its purchase as bare land in 1989, we have continually refined our plantings to optimize the wine grape quality potential of each block by determining the best clones to match each soil type. Thus, our Chardonnay blend continues to evolve towards greater heights every year.