Hartford Court Russian River Chardonnay

Description

Hartford Court Russian River Chardonnay is made at Hartford Family Winery, a winery located in Sonoma County which specialises in the production of, sometimes very small quantities of, single vineyard Pinot Noir, old vine Zinfandel and Chardonnay. The winery is located in the Sonoma Coast town of Forestville about 15 miles from the Pacific Coast

Hartford Family Winery was founded in 1994 by husband and wife Don Hartford and his wife Jennifer Jackson-Hartford. The couple met at Santa Clara University in Northern California. Around the same time, Jennifer’s father Jess started a little known winery called Kendall-Jackson. Today the Don and Jenny are co-owners of Hartford Family Winery along with their children, Hailey Hartford Murray and McLean Jackson Hartford. Director of Winemaking Jeff Stewart and Winemaker Tiaan Lordan form the winery’s dynamic winemaking team.

Hartford Court Russian River Valley Chardonnay is 100% Chardonnay a selection of very  small, high quality vineyards located in the Russian River Valley AVA. The fruit is sourced from a handful of growers and neighbours who carefully nurture their sustainably farmed vineyards located in the Laguna Ridge, Middle Reach and Green Valley areas of Russian River Valley. These vineyards are a combination of the estate properties such as Jennifer’s, Fog Dance, Bellflower and Arrendell, as well as a small collection of neighbouring vineyards located in the centre of the Russian River. These superb vineyard sites express the essence of the Russian River Valley by showcasing the five of the best sub-regions within the AVA:

Middle Reach – Ripe fruits, honeysuckle and jasmine characters.
Green Valley – Citrus, lemon drop candy and green apple aromas and flavors.
Laguna Ridge – Baked apple and pear, layered texture, crystallized ginger finish.
Sebastopol Hills – Bright citrus oil aromatics with focused acidity and lemon-lime flavors.
Santa Rosa Plains – Rich citrus and apple aromas with round, long texture.

The grapes for the Hartford Court Russian River Chardonnay are all harvested at night, they are are hand sorted which is followed by whole cluster pressing and fermentation with a combination of indigenous and cultured yeasts. The wine is 100% barrel fermented in French oak barriques (24% new) to give a bright yet rich and textural feel. It also undergoes malolactic fermentation with weekly lees stirring for the 9 months the wine is aged, this adds a creamy texture to the wine. No fining and minimal filtration.