Robert Craig Gap's Crown Chardonnay
These textured whites are dry, but have more body and gusto than the rest of the field. From creamy Chardonnay to ripe Viognier and much more.
In the words of the winery - "In our continuing quest to make the most age-worthy, structured, vibrant, racy, white wine in all of California, we give you our very limited 2018 Gap’s Crown Vineyard Chardonnay from Bill Price’s singular vineyard on the Sonoma Coast. In the not-so-distant past we mistakenly crushed enough fruit in 2014 to produce nearly 900 cases of this lovely wine, our peak production. However, we are a Cabernet house with a bad habit for noteworthy whites, and not the other way around. Our production has dropped to no more than the 300-case mark, where it will stay for the foreseeable future.
2018 was a perfect year to grow Chardonnay at the top of the Petaluma Gap. Budbreak and set were early, and the growing season was long and mild. We harvested at low brix and fermented out completely dry while blocking malolactic fermentation from occurring to preserve the signature nerve of our Chardonnay. A judicious amount of new French oak was involved to round the shoulders a bit, but the 2018 Gap’s Crown Chardonnay maintains its vibrant edge. Orange rind, smooth stream pebbles, and the chalky soils of the vineyard all appear in this glorious wine. The wine is showing beautifully now but will easily handle fifteen to twenty years in the cellar. Don’t wait, there is only a small amount."
