LaCourette's 2010 Chardonnay expresses Courtyard Wineries' commitment to crafting the area's finest wines.        

Chardonnay grapes were hand picked, inspected berry by berry, and sorted to retain only the finest fruit.  We then employed the French tradition of Oak Barrel fermenting and Sur Lie aging.  This allows the wine to stay on the fermentation lees for two months.  During that time, the wine is enhanced weekly by "Batonage" - the stirring of the settled yeast cells, which imparts a creamy richness to the new wine.  The wine is then patiently aged another 14 months in Oak Barrels. 

The results are strikingly apparent.

Pull the cork and you will be treated to the first aromas of rich Oak notes.  Pour the wine, and the Oak opens to uncover a soft honeysuckle scent with a hint of mineral in the background.  A sip reveals the essence of lemongrass, softened by the oak aging.  A mid palate with a nuance of buttered caramel is revealed as it cascades over the tongue and lingers through the lean and toasty finish.

This painstaking process is lovingly precise, but oh, so worth it !

Pairs well with hearty seafood and shellfish.

Limited Production

Dry -  Residual Sugar  .1%