Joel Gott Barrel Aged Chardonnay 2021

The 2021 Joel Gott Limited Release California Barrel-Aged Chardonnay has aromas of ripe pear and peaches with notes of caramel and spice. On the palate, the wine opens with ripe fruit flavors, leading to a round mouthfeel on the mid-palate and crisp minerality with a hint of vanilla on the long, delicate finish.

We sourced fruit for this wine from the larger North Coast and Central Coast AVAs. Fruit from the cooler, marine-influenced Petaluma Gap and Russian River AVAs add minerality, acidity and citrus notes to the blend. Fruit from vineyards in the Arroyo Seco region, one of the smallest AVAs within Monterey, offers bright fruit flavors and well-balanced acidity. Within the larger Santa Barbara AVA, fruit from Santa Rita Hills experiences foggy mornings with warmer afternoons adding crisp, clean minerality and stone fruit flavors while warmer inland vineyards in the Santa Maria and Los Olivos AVAs add structure and concentration. Sourcing from these varied regions helps to create an elegant, fruit forward and balanced wine.

After harvest, the fruit was fermented in 50% new French oak barrels and 50% one & two-year-old French oak barrels for 6–8 months to add complexity to the win