2015 Poundstone Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Winemaker’s Comments
Our goal with the 2015 Russian River Chardonnay was capturing the quintessential essence of the varietal grown in this region. This Chardonnay has flavors of pear, apple, honey, vanilla, cinnamon spice, and ripe melon. The richly textured palate and complexity in the wine lead to a well rounded balanced finish.
Vineyard/Winemaking Notes
The Vineyard
Our 2015 Russian River Chardonnay comes from Foppoli Vineyard located in the geographical heart of Sonoma County. This location is known for its cool morning fog that comes in from the Pacific Ocean and burns off during the day. These weather patterns allow the grapes to develop full flavor maturity over an extended growing season. The ebbs and flows of the coastal fog through the Petaluma Gap contribute to the depth and richness of our Chardonnay while maintaining bright, natural acidity.
The Winemaking
By handpicking and sorting the fruit we are able to choose the highest quality grapes from the vineyard. The dusters undergo a second sorting after arriving at the winery. We gently press the whole clusters, with the press fractions, kept separate. The wine is partially fermented in a cool tank allowing for the natural esters to remain and to retain as much fruit as possible. We finish the wine in 60% new French Oak and neutral barrels. They are kept very cool allowing for the natural esters to remain and retain as much fruit as possible. The wine is aged on the lees, stirring bi-monthly and undergoes 70% malolactic fermentation. We bottle after 10 months of aging.
Specs
Vintage: 2015
Harvest Date: September 25th, 2015
Bottled Date: August 12th, 2016
Cases Produced: 149
Alcohol: 14.8 %
2015 Poundstone Chardonnay, Sangiacomo, Carneros, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Winemaker’s Comments
This Chardonnay has floral aromas accented by citrus, pineapple, pear, and vanilla. This wine has vibrant acidity and freshness of the palate. The wine is bright, and the flavors of pear, apple, vanilla, and honeysuckle show the complexity of this wine. This wine is balanced, and its flavors leave a lasting impression on the palate.
Vineyard/Winemaking Notes
The Vineyard
Our 2015 Chardonnay comes from the Catarina vineyard located in the Cameras Region in Sonoma. This location allowed us to mature the grapes slowly and evenly while maintaining vibrant acidity. The Robert Young or clone 17 thrives in this area of Sonoma. We partnered with a top grower, Sangiacomo. We worked closely with the grower to ensure the highest quality fruit at harvest. Our goal in the vineyard is to let the natural flavor of the Chardonnay shine. The acidity tends toward a northern Chablis style with high acidity, rich mouthfeel, and balanced flavors.
The Winemaking
We handpick and sort our fruit to focus on the highest quality fruit in the vineyard. The grapes are brought to the winery extremely clean, where they undergo a second sorting. They are whole-cluster pressed gently, and we keep the press fractions separate. The wine is partially fermented in a cool tank allowing for the natural esters to remain and to retain as much fruit as possible. We finish the wine in barrel and stainless drum allowing for full lees contact and fractional barrel fermentation. The wine is aged on the lees and stirred bi-monthly. We bottle after 9 months to retain the freshness and brightness our vineyard offers.
Specs
Vintage: 2015
Harvest Date: September 24th, 2015
Bottled: August 22th, 2016
Cases Produced: 190
Alcohol: 14.8 %
Included in the Box
4-bottles:
2x 2015 Poundstone Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
2x 2015 Poundstone Chardonnay, Sangiacomo, Carneros, Sonoma County
Case:
6x 2015 Poundstone Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
6x 2015 Poundstone Chardonnay, Sangiacomo, Carneros, Sonoma County
Poundstone is dedicated to producing local wines that pair well with many types of cuisine. We take pride in making wine from sustainably grown fruit from the Carneros region and the Russian River Valley. Our wines are made with the highest quality fruit from these regions and the cool climate is ideal for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Connection
Poundstone values connection to the earth for the vines and fruit it produces. We value connection to our customers, farmers, partners, and each other.
Integrity
We value integrity in our product, our work, and our family. Poundstone starts with family and love of the land. We produce quality wines honoring the region and all contributors.
Authenticity
We want the fruit to shine through in its authenticity. We strive to be our authentic selves and value what each customer and team member brings to Poundstone wines.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
@PoundstoneWines Thanks for stopping by! I’ve got a few nerdy questions for you. You say
We finish the wine in 60% new French Oak and neutral barrels.
Does this mean that 40% of the barrels are neutral, or 40% of the wine never goes into a barrel?
The wine… undergoes 70% malolactic fermentation.
Does this mean that the malolactic fermentation is stopped 70% of the way to completion or that 70% of the wine is allowed (or inoculated) to undergo malolactic fermentation at all?
They are kept very cool allowing for the natural esters to remain and retain as much fruit as possible.
Does ‘natural esters’ mean the esters occurring naturally in the grapes or the esters produced by the yeast during fermentation (which are typically retained via higher temperature fermentation.)
@KitMarlot we use neutral oak barrels as well as stainless drum for the remaining 40%.
70% of the barrels are inoculated and allowed to go through MLF.
Natural esters is in reference to the yeast. With a cooler fermentation we retain the fruity esters vs the floral ones you may get with warmer temps.
Love the questions! Do we have a winemaker in our presence?!
@PoundstoneWines Thanks a lot for the thoughtful answers, I really appreciate such winery participation.
Do we have a winemaker in our presence?!
I have too much respect for your esteemed profession to number myself amongst your ranks; what I do is more akin to making ‘wine-like product’ (though latest attempt is pretty promising.)
The monkeys came back! This time they were laughing and laughing as they delivered their package. How strange I thought, until I opened the box. It was a Chardonnay! aggghhh I thought, for those who know me, Chardonnay is a wine I just don’t like (yes, I have tried MANY) now I know why they were laughing!
So I called the rest of the family to schedule our tasting, not telling the others it is a Chard, (didn’t want to scare them off)
When everyone was together 1 out of the 5 of us was excited, the rest of us were determined to be fair and put our preconceived opinions about Chard aside .
2015 Poundstone Sangiacomo Chardonnay
wine had been in the regular fridge, was taken out about 15 min before tasting.
PNP
Color - a beautiful golden color. One said like Rapunzel’s hair.
Aroma- apricot, apple, white grape and honey
Taste- thick mouth feel, smooth, unassuming, bit of apple and honey. We all loved the mouth feel, felt rich was the consensus.
The finish is what was surprised us. Juicy Peach with a hint of tart unripe peach, apricot touch of honey. Not sweet, not bone dry, just right.
This is where we all went WOW! All of us non Chard people were in shock! (in a good way) We kept tasting, we were in total disbelief… a Chard…we like? Yup!
We tried with spicy Monterrey Jack crackers, nope the spicy overtook the wine. Pepper crackers were good and wheat thins were good.
We liked it out of the fridge cold and when it was a tad bit cooler than room temperature. The in between phase, was not our favorite, but it didn’t deter us.
This is one of the only wines all 5 of us were in agreement of. We LOVED it! We finished the bottle and everyone was sad that there was no more. Everyone wanted me to order a case so we can split it.
This is a Chard for non chard people.
We all guessed price point of $25
Now I see this is a split offer, do I get the case, is the other wine in this offer as wonderful as the one we tasted? Do I order without checking with the rest? Hmmmmm decisions, decisions
@mommadeb What a great report - Thank you! I am a Chardonnay girl all the way and was looking forward to hearing about this one. This wine had me at “Sangiacomo”. A top grower in our area who’s fruit is highly coveted.
@mommadeb We are so happy you and your family enjoyed our Sangiacomo Chard! With our RRV seeing more new oak, the vanilla notes are a bit more prominent, however, the fruit is still the star of the show. The oak is incorporated in a way that you feel its presence but the glass is not overwhelmed. It is our oakier expression of Chardonnay appealing to our family member’s palates preferring the other end of the Chardonnay spectrum. Each of our Chards have their time and place to shine, wether being sipped on their own or paired with a nice filet of grilled salmon and veggies! Thank you for the great review! @CruelMelody I hope this helps!
How much more are you saving by buying a full case? (Note: shipping and sales tax not included in calculations)
2015 Poundstone Chardonnay - $35 = 19.43%
@PoundstoneWines Sorry couldn’t resist…and kind of a what’s up no IL ship…
but I’m leaving (left) the great state of IL to an area that isn’t UPS ship friendly due to their lack of being able to redirect shipments so I can’t order even if I wanted to which my lovely bride may have convinced me … but I digress
2015 Poundstone Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Had the Russian River bottle on Sunday night (sorry that I’m just now posting…crazy cookie season!) We had smoked BBQ pork ribs which to me is a bizarre pairing for Chardonnay, but more on that later.
The first thing we noticed is the vibrant, golden color. Gorgeous.
Lots of apple on the nose, like more so than a typical Chardonnay. Pleasant. Bordering on cider-y but not quite. Vanilla. No butter.
Taste is…Chardonnay. A little tart but pleasantly so. Very slightly creamy finish but not heavily malo in my opinion. Smooth. It’s well-balanced and tasty but not particularly remarkable. People who like Chardonnay and people who don’t actively hate it will all like this wine.
Back to my bizarre dinner pairing. The acid in the wine nicely cut through the fatty meat, and the apple worked with the spices. I wouldn’t seek this pairing out, but it wasn’t bad.
At under $20, I like this wine a lot. I would also have pegged at $25 a bottle retail. It’s a very solid Russian River chard. I have too much Chardonnay at the moment so can’t buy it, but if you do I think you’ll be happy.
I am now wishing the bottle wasn’t empty as I would love to taste this against Carpenter, my favorite RRV Chardonnay, with a much higher price point than this one.
@aces219@ddeuddeg This is a wine to drink now. That’s why we’re offering such a great deal on it. We feel it’s really at it’s prime, and want it to be enjoyed at it’s best. Thanks!
@PoundstoneWines Just wanted to say really enjoyed this wine! Definitely the Sangiacomo more! Please show up again! Thank you for opportunity to try!
P.S. I am a red wine drinker mostly not a lot of chardonnays I like…but do like this one!
@ddeuddeg This is obviously not a current release and I have no knowledge of this wine, but a well made chardonnay should be shining at the tender age of 4 or 5.
@ddeuddeg ok, I see above winery said drink now…but drinking 2012 and older domestic chards now that are singing…waiting on a 2013 that will be their current offer…
Wish I would have seen this when it came out. Just had the Poundstone 15 sangiacomo Chardonnay I got from another site, and really enjoyed it, but it is now sold out.
2015 Poundstone Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Winemaker’s Comments
Vineyard/Winemaking Notes
The Vineyard
The Winemaking
Specs
2015 Poundstone Chardonnay, Sangiacomo, Carneros, Sonoma County
Tasting Notes
Winemaker’s Comments
Vineyard/Winemaking Notes
The Vineyard
The Winemaking
Specs
Included in the Box
Price Comparison
$506.85 a Case at Poundstone Wines for the 2016 Vintages, 2015 Vintages Not Sold on Website
About The Winery
Winery: Poundstone Wines
Poundstone is dedicated to producing local wines that pair well with many types of cuisine. We take pride in making wine from sustainably grown fruit from the Carneros region and the Russian River Valley. Our wines are made with the highest quality fruit from these regions and the cool climate is ideal for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Connection
Poundstone values connection to the earth for the vines and fruit it produces. We value connection to our customers, farmers, partners, and each other.
Integrity
We value integrity in our product, our work, and our family. Poundstone starts with family and love of the land. We produce quality wines honoring the region and all contributors.
Authenticity
We want the fruit to shine through in its authenticity. We strive to be our authentic selves and value what each customer and team member brings to Poundstone wines.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, March 26th - Monday, March 30th
Poundstone Chardonnay Combo
4 bottles for $59.99 $15/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $144.99 $12.08/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2015 Poundstone Chardonnay
2015 Poundstone Chardonnay Sangiacomo
pH?
@novium pH for our Russian River is 3.55 and Sangiacomo is 3.66. Thanks for asking!
@novium @PoundstoneWines welcome!
@PoundstoneWines Thanks for stopping by! I’ve got a few nerdy questions for you. You say
Does this mean that 40% of the barrels are neutral, or 40% of the wine never goes into a barrel?
Does this mean that the malolactic fermentation is stopped 70% of the way to completion or that 70% of the wine is allowed (or inoculated) to undergo malolactic fermentation at all?
Does ‘natural esters’ mean the esters occurring naturally in the grapes or the esters produced by the yeast during fermentation (which are typically retained via higher temperature fermentation.)
@KitMarlot we use neutral oak barrels as well as stainless drum for the remaining 40%.
70% of the barrels are inoculated and allowed to go through MLF.
Natural esters is in reference to the yeast. With a cooler fermentation we retain the fruity esters vs the floral ones you may get with warmer temps.
Love the questions! Do we have a winemaker in our presence?!
@PoundstoneWines Thanks a lot for the thoughtful answers, I really appreciate such winery participation.
I have too much respect for your esteemed profession to number myself amongst your ranks; what I do is more akin to making ‘wine-like product’ (though latest attempt is pretty promising.)
The monkeys came back! This time they were laughing and laughing as they delivered their package. How strange I thought, until I opened the box. It was a Chardonnay! aggghhh I thought, for those who know me, Chardonnay is a wine I just don’t like (yes, I have tried MANY) now I know why they were laughing!
So I called the rest of the family to schedule our tasting, not telling the others it is a Chard, (didn’t want to scare them off)
When everyone was together 1 out of the 5 of us was excited, the rest of us were determined to be fair and put our preconceived opinions about Chard aside .
2015 Poundstone Sangiacomo Chardonnay
wine had been in the regular fridge, was taken out about 15 min before tasting.
PNP
Color - a beautiful golden color. One said like Rapunzel’s hair.
Aroma- apricot, apple, white grape and honey
Taste- thick mouth feel, smooth, unassuming, bit of apple and honey. We all loved the mouth feel, felt rich was the consensus.
The finish is what was surprised us. Juicy Peach with a hint of tart unripe peach, apricot touch of honey. Not sweet, not bone dry, just right.
This is where we all went WOW! All of us non Chard people were in shock! (in a good way) We kept tasting, we were in total disbelief… a Chard…we like? Yup!
We tried with spicy Monterrey Jack crackers, nope the spicy overtook the wine. Pepper crackers were good and wheat thins were good.
We liked it out of the fridge cold and when it was a tad bit cooler than room temperature. The in between phase, was not our favorite, but it didn’t deter us.
This is one of the only wines all 5 of us were in agreement of. We LOVED it! We finished the bottle and everyone was sad that there was no more. Everyone wanted me to order a case so we can split it.
This is a Chard for non chard people.
We all guessed price point of $25
Now I see this is a split offer, do I get the case, is the other wine in this offer as wonderful as the one we tasted? Do I order without checking with the rest? Hmmmmm decisions, decisions
@mommadeb sounds amazing! I’ll be in too if we hear about the RRV bottle. Sounds like that one is more heavily oaked.
@mommadeb What a great report - Thank you! I am a Chardonnay girl all the way and was looking forward to hearing about this one. This wine had me at “Sangiacomo”. A top grower in our area who’s fruit is highly coveted.
@mommadeb We are so happy you and your family enjoyed our Sangiacomo Chard! With our RRV seeing more new oak, the vanilla notes are a bit more prominent, however, the fruit is still the star of the show. The oak is incorporated in a way that you feel its presence but the glass is not overwhelmed. It is our oakier expression of Chardonnay appealing to our family member’s palates preferring the other end of the Chardonnay spectrum. Each of our Chards have their time and place to shine, wether being sipped on their own or paired with a nice filet of grilled salmon and veggies! Thank you for the great review! @CruelMelody I hope this helps!
@CruelMelody wish I could answer that, but seeing how Chards aren’t usually my favorite, I have nothing to compare it to. But it was quite tasty
@WCCWineGirl I guess now I can’t say I don’t like Chardonnay, might have to give some others a try
@CruelMelody @PoundstoneWines We are still in disbelief that we loved a Chard! I ordered a case for us to split.
@mommadeb drat, now I really want to try the wine you described! I might have to get this offer now.
RS?
@KingKoopa both of our Chardonnays are dry. Great question!
/giphy visible-full-produce
Got a case
How much more are you saving by buying a full case? (Note: shipping and sales tax not included in calculations)
2015 Poundstone Chardonnay - $35 = 19.43%
All set to buy, but sadly IL is not on the list.
@kaolis
I see what you did there…
@kaolis no affiliation although we appreciate her work!
@PoundstoneWines Sorry couldn’t resist…and kind of a what’s up no IL ship…
but I’m leaving (left) the great state of IL to an area that isn’t UPS ship friendly due to their lack of being able to redirect shipments so I can’t order even if I wanted to which my lovely bride may have convinced me … but I digress
@kaolis agreed…so not down with the brown (trucks)
@kaolis That’s the same face I make every time Brown makes a last-minute change to their delivery window.
2015 Poundstone Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
Had the Russian River bottle on Sunday night (sorry that I’m just now posting…crazy cookie season!) We had smoked BBQ pork ribs which to me is a bizarre pairing for Chardonnay, but more on that later.
The first thing we noticed is the vibrant, golden color. Gorgeous.
Lots of apple on the nose, like more so than a typical Chardonnay. Pleasant. Bordering on cider-y but not quite. Vanilla. No butter.
Taste is…Chardonnay. A little tart but pleasantly so. Very slightly creamy finish but not heavily malo in my opinion. Smooth. It’s well-balanced and tasty but not particularly remarkable. People who like Chardonnay and people who don’t actively hate it will all like this wine.
Back to my bizarre dinner pairing. The acid in the wine nicely cut through the fatty meat, and the apple worked with the spices. I wouldn’t seek this pairing out, but it wasn’t bad.
At under $20, I like this wine a lot. I would also have pegged at $25 a bottle retail. It’s a very solid Russian River chard. I have too much Chardonnay at the moment so can’t buy it, but if you do I think you’ll be happy.
I am now wishing the bottle wasn’t empty as I would love to taste this against Carpenter, my favorite RRV Chardonnay, with a much higher price point than this one.
@PoundstoneWines
Q for winemaker: how long do you think these will stay good?
@aces219 @ddeuddeg This is a wine to drink now. That’s why we’re offering such a great deal on it. We feel it’s really at it’s prime, and want it to be enjoyed at it’s best. Thanks!
@PoundstoneWines Just wanted to say really enjoyed this wine! Definitely the Sangiacomo more! Please show up again! Thank you for opportunity to try!
P.S. I am a red wine drinker mostly not a lot of chardonnays I like…but do like this one!
Central Ohio split, anyone? Spouse likes chard, prefers this to Swiss.
Isn’t this a bit older than one would normally find Chardonnay being sold? Sort of the same question as @aces219 @PoundstoneWines
@ddeuddeg This is obviously not a current release and I have no knowledge of this wine, but a well made chardonnay should be shining at the tender age of 4 or 5.
@ddeuddeg ok, I see above winery said drink now…but drinking 2012 and older domestic chards now that are singing…waiting on a 2013 that will be their current offer…
Wish I would have seen this when it came out. Just had the Poundstone 15 sangiacomo Chardonnay I got from another site, and really enjoyed it, but it is now sold out.