Francis Ford Coppola Votre Sante Chardonnay 2009

Votre Santé wines pay tribute to Francis Coppola's paternal grandmother, Maria Zasa, who would toast with the traditional French phrase, ‘à votre santé,' each time she raised her glass. In her honor, we created a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, France's two classic Burgundian varietals, in a delicate style that makes them perfect pleasures you can enjoy on any occasion.

We start with fruit selections chosen for their aromatic properties and flavor intensity. Our Votre Santé Chardonnay is crafted using a split fermentation technique, where half of the fruit is fermented in oak and half is fermented in stainless steel. This method produces the perfect degree of richness and spice nuances from the wood so the wine has body and character, but also derives a good balance of ripe, expressive fruit. Since we believe wine is best enjoyed with a delicious meal and the company of good friends, we craft our Chardonnay in a foodfriendly style that has a moderate level of natural acidity. Finally, a small percentage of the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation to create a luscious mouthfeel. All of these efforts produce a wine with succulent fruit, a light buttery texture and just a kiss of toasted oak.

Our 2009 Votre Santé Chardonnay offers an elegant balance of ripe, mouthwatering fruit, bright citrus notes and a creamy finish. The alluring scent of honeysuckle, pears and cinnamon is followed by impressions of summer melons, yellow apples, tangerine and vanilla ice cream.