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2003 Maison Grand Cru Chardonnay |
 Rutz
Cellars Maison Grand Cru designation represents the best blend
of the vintage from select Chardonnay vineyards. The 2003
vintage produced outstanding fruit from all of our vineyard
sources, including the Dutton Ranch vineyard, which represents
the greatest part of this blend. This 100% Russian River wine
was assembled from seven separately-handled wine lots using
three different yeast strains. All of the lots were cold settled
for 24 hours at 50F or below, before being moved to 100% French
oak barrels for fermentation in the optimal temperature and
humidity provided by the Rutz Cellars cave. After primary
fermentation, all of the lots went through complete malolactic
fermentation. Aged on the lees and hand-stirred every two weeks,
the blend was assembled in March. It was then put back to barrel
for an additional five months of aging, still on the lees, and
hand-stirred every two weeks until being bottled in August.
Golden honey in appearance. A rich and creamy mouthful of Chardonnay. Toasty oak notes weave through the spicy pear, honey and apricot flavors. Finishes with harmonious notes of smoke and nectarine. Harvest Dates - September 18-October 14 pH - 3.68 Alcohol - 14.3% Total Acid - .605g/100ml 1,006 cases produced |