2017 Tolosa Chardonnay

Buy 2017 Tolosa Chardonnay at Elite Wine Society

About Tolosa Chardonnay 2017:

The estate Tolosa Chardonnay 2017 is hand-crafted, with all the riveting character you can ask for from a coastal Chardonnay: depth, minerality and a racy acidity.

Tasting Notes:

On the Nose: Meyer lemon, ripe pear, cantaloupe and thyme.
On the Palate: A clean, fresh palate with notes of candied peach rings, lemon blossom, strawberry seeds, and white peach pith

Barrel Selection:

9 months in French oak barrels, with 20% of them being new

Growing Notes:

The ideal cool climate however allows the Chardonnay grapes to hang on the vines longer and yield intense flavor. The grapes retain their natural acidity to create a wine with a refreshing tension with an abundance of aromatics. The Chardonnay vines are planted on an ancient seabed of calcareous, limestone and silty clay loam soils that contribute a distinct minerality.

Winemaking Notes:

The maturation of the fruit is closely monitored, to ensure the grapes are harvested at an even ripeness, which is the recipe for a balanced wine. The maker uses conventional winemaking techniques of barrel fermentation, sur lee aging and bâtonnage to build complexities in the wine. Malolactic conversion is encouraged, while they strive to preserve what Mother Nature gives in the vineyard to showcase the complex flavors and aromas of the cool climate Chardonnay

About The Vineyard:

Tolosa’s estate vineyard, Edna Ranch, is nestled amongst the northwest-southeast running volcanic hills of San Luis Obispo. Edna Valley is a transverse valley, an extension of the sea
with a funnel leading past Morro Bay. The coastal fog and wind are pulled into the valley, producing the ideal cool climate. Cowboy dreams of owning a cattle ranch brought Robin Baggett to Edna Valley on the San Luis Obispo Coast. The cold Pacific wind and soils from ancient seabed to limestone made him realize he was on a frontier of a different sort: a microclimate ideal for ripening sensitive Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

A true believer in terroir and the deepest evocation of place, together with his winemaking team, his mission is to discover the best pockets of soil, and through the art of uniting the right sites, clones, rootstocks and farming practices, create exemplary Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that are the purest expressions of the place from whence they came.  Tolosa is the expression of his commitment to spare no effort to craft nuanced and balanced Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of distinctive character to rival any in the world.

Story Behind the Winery:

Robin began planting his home ranch in 1988.  In Edna Valley, much as the soil and the climate come together, the passions of vintner Robin Baggett have converged. The revelation of the valley as a remarkable place for Pinot Noir ignited his zeal to build complex, nuanced and balanced wines of distinction.  Over time, his quest has expanded to find other special pockets of terroir throughout California that offer an exceptional environment for these delicate grapes.

Tolosa, established in San Luis Obispo in 1998, is an artisanal producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. Helmed by vintner Robin Baggett. Tolosa epitomizes the special terroir that is San Luis Obispo Coast. Nestled amongst the northwest to southeast running volcanic hills of San Luis Obispo County and the frontier for the most complex cool-climate varietals in California. Its Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays reflect the cold Pacific wind that sweeps down the coast. Funnels into the valley, as well as the remarkable diversity of soil types. Ingredients for nuanced and balanced wines of distinctive character. Tolosa combines traditional methods. Such as hand punch down and whole berry uncrushed fermentations. With state-of-the-art equipment in the cellar and cutting-edge technology in the vineyard to handcraft exceptional wines that are the purest expressions of the San Luis Obispo Coast.