2021 Late Sky 'Eclipse' Chardonnay

Late Sky Chardonnay is picked by hand in the early morning. The grapes are then hand-sorted slowly and pressed gently, still intact as whole clusters. The juice is moved into French oak barrels for fermentation the same day with minimal settling time (with solids). Each barrel is stirred daily during fermentation to encourage healthy activity. Once the ferments are near complete, barrel topping becomes a top priority to maintain freshness and energy in the wine. All Chardonnay is fermented dry (no remaining sugar) before moving into the barrel room for aging. The wine ages on lees for approximately 10 months in French oak barrels. During this time, all barrels are topped weekly with a focus on minimizing oxidation. Secondary fermentation (malolactic) historically finishes fully in late winter to early spring. All Late Sky Chardonnay is unfined and unfiltered.