2005 'Silhouette' Chardonnay, Napa Valley

BLEND
100% Chardonnay

VINEYARDS
Stanly Ranch (Estate), Hyde Vineyard, Silverado-Suscol

APPELLATION
Napa Valley

WINEMAKING

• Double sorted and whole cluster pressed
• 100% fermented in French Oak Barrels
• 100% native yeast fermentation
• 100% malolactic fermentation
• Bottled unfiltered

BARREL AGING
Aged 18 months in French oak (67% new)

ALCOHOL
14.2% by volume

RELEASE DATE
June, 2008

CELLARING
Enjoy now but will continue to develop for five years and hold for many years after that.

WINEMAKER'S NOTES
Silhouette is Merryvale’s limited production, top white wine and contains the best of the best Napa Valley and Carneros Chardonnay fruit. Our favorite lots are chosen for their concentration of flavor and elegance then blended and aged for 17 months in French Oak Burgundy barrels. All of the wine was fermented with native yeast, a method that accentuates the richness of the wine’s mouthfeel.

Aromas of baked apple and pear tart, lemon curd, nutmeg, cardamom and vanilla bean are interwoven with mineral and toasted oak notes. The wine has a dense, complex and focused mouthfeel balanced by refreshing acidity. Silhouette will develop in the bottle for the next 5-10 years.