2020 Chardonnay Bella Vigna 750 ml
Appellation
Sonoma Coast
On the nose you will find aromas of golden apple, fresh lemon juice, and graham cracker. This wine is vibrant upon entry with flavors of lemon and pear. The bright acid feeling on the palate will continue through the citrus splashed finish
Wine Specs
Vintage
2020
Varietal
Chardonnay
Appellation
Sonoma Coast
Alcohol %
14.9
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
On the nose you will find aromas of golden apple, fresh lemon juice, and graham cracker. This wine is vibrant upon entry with flavors of lemon and pear. The bright acid feeling on the palate will continue through the citrus splashed finish
Vineyard Notes
Our Bella Vigna label is curated from our estate vineyards in the Sonoma Coast
appellation. We wanted to create an appellation blend that reflects the
characteristics of our Sonoma Coast vineyards and is still true to our Martinelli
style. Bella Vigna translates to “Beautiful Vines”, so our winemaking team chose
barrels that best denote the flavor profiles of our vineyards, showcasing how
beautiful the fruit from the Sonoma Coast can be. This wine is largely made from
our Dijon clones 95, 76 and 17
Production Notes
2020 will likely go down as one of the most memorable harvests in Martinelli history. The growing season was nearly perfect until mid-August when two nearby wildfires were ignited by a dry lightning storm. At this point in the berries’ growth cycle, the skins are softening and developing favors. Because we religiously prioritize the quality of our wines and the integrity of our brand, we made the hard but crucial decision to not make any Pinot Noir from the 2020 vintage. Unlike the other varieties that we grow, Pinot Noir is susceptible to absorbing flavors from its surroundings because it is exceptionally thin skinned. Therefore, we are able to pick up terroir flavor nuances even within the same AVA in this grape. Luckily, we have Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Syrah from the 2020 vintage. Chardonnay is removed from its skins as soon as it enters the winery, so contact with any smoke flavors is extremely minimal. Zinfandel and Syrah both have very tough skins and did not absorb the smoke flavors we tasted in the Pinots. Though we were only able to process half the amount of fruit we do in a normal year, we are grateful for the outstanding wines we were able to make from the 2020 harvest.