2019 Tolosa No Oak Chardonnay

About Tolosa Chardonnay No Oak 2019:

Tolosa’s Heritage No Oak Chardonnay ties back to the history of the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, as we carry on its heritage of winemaking in San Luis Obispo County. This
wine reflects minimal influence by winemaking to capitalize on the maximum expression of the fruit.

Tasting Notes:

On the Nose:  Playful notes of candied apple rings and banana custard, with elegant aromatics of lemon verbena, daffodil and a wet stone minerality.
On the Palate: Notes of lemon drops, Fuji apple, and kiwi flood the palate, offering a silky entrance that builds the mid-palate while the acidity creates a long finish.

Barrel Selection:

Tolosa Chardonnay No Oak, stainless steel tanks, sur lie aged

Growing Notes:

The cool consistent marine layer hovers over the vines, and a sea breeze chills the air to create a climate where Chardonnay thrives. The days are balanced with just enough sunshine to offer luscious fruit characteristics and bright citrus flavors. The exposure to the coastal influence produces Chardonnay grapes that hang on the vine longer, allowing the grapes to achieve optimal ripeness while maintaining their natural acidity and expressive aromatics. The cool climate prompts the conditions to produce a wine with a lower alcohol and refined character.

Winemaking Notes:

The wine is fermented in stainless tanks at a very low temperature to let the true nature of the varietal shine. It is also aged in stainless steel tanks, on the lees to add complexity to the mouthfeel by offering a denser mid-palate. The attack of acidity, enticing fruit characteristics and elegant minerality will lure you into wanting more!

About The Vineyard:

The rolling vineyards planted along California’s Central Coast lie within miles of the Pacific Ocean.

Story Behind the Winery:

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.

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 and 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.

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.