Raeburn Russian River Chardonnay 2019

Raeburn is an Olde English term which means 'the river where one goes to drink'. So it’s fitting that Raeburn’s expressive, beautifully balanced Chardonnay begins in the heart of the Russian River Valley.  Ripe and luscious, Raeburn shows an array of fruit tones ranging from pear and Gravenstein apple to nectarine. The fruit is complemented with toasted oak, vanilla and hints of Crème Brûlée. Raeburn is also a certified California Sustainable winery, and owned by the son of an avid birdwatcher and nature conservationist. The local Egret is featured on the label, as the graceful egrets are a common sight along the nearby waterways. 

The Russian River Valley is cooled by daily fog off the Pacific Ocean located a few miles to the west. Nearly every evening, fog flows up the Russian River channel and east through the Petaluma Gap producing diurnal temperature swings ranging from 35° to 40° F.  'Nature’s air conditioning' allows Raeburn Chardonnay to ripen slowly while retaining natural acidity.

Braeburn Chardonnay is hand-picked at dawn from several Russian River Valley vineyards to maintain ideal brix levels of 24° to 24.5°. Once at the winery, the grapes are whole cluster pressed and gently racked into French and Hungarian oak barrels for fermentation. A quarter of the juice is held aside to ferment and age in stainless steel and the two lots are blended at the time of bottling. This yields an elegant layering of toasty, vanilla overtones with bright fruit flavors and a graceful finish. 100% Chardonnay • 75% malolactic fermentation • 75% barrel fermented in French & Hungarian oak, 50% new • Six month aging sur lie. Serve with salmon, poached halibut, lobster, fried shrimp and chicken in Dijon sauces.