Patz & Hall Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay 2006

Profoundly consistent from vintage to vintage, the 2006 bottling of our Hyde Vineyard Carneros Chardonnay offers all the lemon cream, orange blossom and crème brulée flavors that have come to define this wine, but with even more rich density and minerality than the previous vintage. With restrained oak, refreshing acidity and an appealing roasted hazelnut quality, the 2006 Hyde Vineyard Carneros Chardonnay continues the tradition of great wines from this world-class vineyard.

Hyde Vineyard has justifiably become one of the superstar vineyards in Carneros. Through many years of dedicated research, planting and winemaking, Larry Hyde has developed two of the most important grape selections in California: Hyde-Wente Chardonnay and Hyde- Calera Pinot Noir. Both are noted for extremely low yields, primarily due to the very small berry size within each cluster. The Chardonnay from Hyde is perhaps the most sought-after fruit in the pantheon of great California vineyards. The Hyde-Wente selection used for our wine is planted on the best soils at Hyde: sandy, clay loam, very low vigor and extremely well drained, lowering the yields even further than typical for this small-berried clone.