2024 Gravel Road Chardonnay

ABOUT GRAVEL ROAD CHARDONNAY

Gravel Road Chardonnay is a blend of our three favorite Chardonnay vineyards in the Willamette Valley: Gran Moraine, Marsh Estate, and Knudsen Vineyards. The first two vineyards grow in low to mid elevation, in sandstone-shale derived soils that provide a lovely creamy texture. While Knudsen Vineyards is located at a high elevation in volcanic derived soil that adds a racy minerality to this unique Chardonnay.

WINEMAKING PROCESS

ROCO Chardonnay is handpicked and then chilled overnight at 38˚ F in a large storage room. The chilled bunches are then pressed and the juice is sent to a tank. After settling in tank, the juice is inoculated and racked to neutral oak where it completes fermentation. After primary fermentation is complete, the young wine goes through malolactic fermentation in order to soften the acidity and to add further complexity. Next, the wines are racked to a mix of new and neutral French oak. There they rest for at least five months before bottling.

2024 VINTAGE NOTES

The 2024 Vintage here in the Willamette Valley was one to remember. At the end of August into September we saw great weather. We saw high temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s during the day. This allowed for a long and slow accumulation of sugars which is great for grape maturation and phenolic ripening. Maintaining cool nighttime temperatures allowed us to maintain acidity. We started picking grapes for sparkling on September 10th and concluded on the 15th. We didn’t start picking Pinot Noir for still wine until September 24th, which means all our sparkling base was done fermenting and tucked away before we even started punch downs. Overall, 2024 was a beautiful vintage and I am very happy and excited about the wines we have made. 

WINEMAKER'S TASTING NOTES

93 – James Suckling