Hangtime Chardonnay 2007
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Along California's cool Central Coast, Chardonnay grapes can take their time ripening. This results in the slow, steady development of pure fruit balanced by natural acidity. We enhance the character of these grapes by fermenting the wine in oak barrels to contribute a creamy mouthfeel and beautiful notes of spice and toast.
If you're a Pinot Noir or Chardonnay fan, look no further than Hangtime Cellars. Winemaking team Rob Mondavi and Tony Coltrin travel the globe to source the finest fruit from the established and emerging wine regions where these two varieties thrive.
Although "hang time" may evoke an image of folks on their day off, sipping wine and relaxing in the sun, the name actually refers to the amount of time the grapes spend hanging on the grapevines. The longer grapes spend on the vine, the more time they have to develop the concentrated fruit character that results in wines of distinctive, delicious varietal expression. Appellations have to be warm enough to fully ripen grapes, yet cool enough to prolong this ripening while maintaining the kind of natural acidity that balances rich fruit flavor. These are the spots that Hangtime's winemakers seek for the highest quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. They source fruit from cool spots all over the world, from California to Burgundy to New Zealand.
While there are stylistic similarities — all the wines are well-balanced with aromas of well-ripened fruit — each wine maintains its own distinct nuances, reflecting the unique characteristics of the region it comes from. And you'll know exactly how long the grapes stayed on the vine, because every label is stamped with a number that indicates the hangtime for that vintage.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
The largest and perhaps most varied of California’s wine-growing regions, the Central Coast produces a good majority of the state's wine. This vast California wine district stretches from San Francisco all the way to Santa Barbara along the coast, and reaches inland nearly all the way to the Central Valley.
Encompassing an extremely diverse array of climates, soil types and wine styles, it contains many smaller sub-AVAs, including San Francisco Bay, Monterey, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Paso Robles, Edna Valley, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley.
While the Central Coast California wine region could probably support almost any major grape varietiy, it is famous for a few Central Coast reds and whites. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel are among the major ones. The Central Coast is home to many of the state's small, artisanal wineries crafting unique, high-quality wines, as well as larger producers also making exceptional wines.