Winery & Vintage Info
The winery's original name, La Crema Vinera, means "best of the vine," setting the standard for all they've done since 1979. The family-owned and operated winery focuses exclusively on cool-climate appellations, continually exploring these very special regions - passionate in their belief that they make uniquely expressive and elegant wines.
The Monterey AVA consists of a long valley stretching from the uniquely cold Monterey Bay to the far Southeast reaches of the Salinas Valley. An ever-present breeze and maritime influence rise from the ocean cooling wide expanses of rolling vineyards. The fruit for this wine is sourced from multiple vineyards across the Monterey AVA including their Gravel-stone and Clark estate vineyards. Vineyards located in North Monterey bring juicy fruit notes while the vineyards in the South bring riper fruit flavours.
Fruit is sourced from all over the Monterey appellation. With different vineyards bringing different flavors to the mix, including notes of green apple, lemon, peach, and pineapple. Soils are predominantly free draining loams. When picked, the fruit is gently pressed, followed by settling for 24 hours then racked to barrel for fermentation.
The Monterey region enjoyed a cool and wet winter which replenished both soil moisture and reservoirs. The upshot of the cooler weather throughout the year was extended hangtime, ripening proceeded very slowly throughout the growing season. A high-quality harvest was quickly apparent with concentrated flavours, balanced acidity and refined phenolic development being the norm. Our Chardonnay harvest began on October 7th, some 3 weeks later than in 2022.
