2024 Hanna Colombard 750ml
Vineyard: Once an important cultivar in the North Coast, Colombard primarily exists in a few plots of old gnarled vines. This vintage is bottled from a young planting, in a vineyard on the banks of the Russian River, just south of Lake Mendocino. With a new appellation, comes a distinctly different Colombard. The wine itself is aromatic, flavorful and delicious. The Oxford Companion to Wine’s Jancis Robinson wrote of Colombard, “It would take some sorcery to transform Colombard into an exciting wine.” No incantations involved, just a few barrels, a sprinkling of yeast, and a little slight-of-hand with some Russian River Valley Chardonnay.
Mendocino County 2024: Winter and Spring of 2024 were perfect. 40 plus inches of rain, adequate chilling but minimal frost, and a few inches of rain during the early growing season resulted in some shatter and crop reduction. This segued into an uneventful spring, and a summer with a few heat spikes, but this is typical for the Ukiah Valley. Crop set was below average, disease pressure low, and fires absent. The Colombard was harvested on September 21 at an average 22.0° Brix, and the Chardonnay for the blend was harvested from September 12 to 27, 2024.
Winemaking: Our winemaking begins in the vineyard. We manage the canopies to achieve flavor enhancing filtered light to the clusters. The Colombard was machine harvested, and the Chardonnay was hand harvested, both at night, pressed to tank, and racked to neutral French oak barrels. The Colombard was inoculated with an ester-enhancing Saccharomyces, and the Chardonnay with a blend of non-Saccharomyces yeasts at the press. The wines were barrel fermented and aged on the lees until blending, four weeks before bottling.
Tasting Notes: The 2024 Mendocino County Colombard is a golden citrine color. Aromas of orange blossoms, honey and vanilla entice. A bright lemon curd entry melds into flavors of peaches, pears, green cardamom, and bitter almond. The wine is medium bodied, with moderate acidity, low tannin, and low alcohol. A perfect wine for any time. (Tasted 5/4/2025)
Variety
79% Colombard, 21% Chardonnay
Vineyard Location
Ukiah Valley in Mendocino County
Age of Vines
6 years
Alcohol
12.8%
pH 3.45
TA 0.65 g/100 mL
Residual Sugar
0.3%
Avg. Brix at Harvest 22.6°
Harvest Date
September 12 to 27, 2024
Fermentation
Started with non-Saccharomyces, finished with an ester-enhancing Saccharomyces in barrels
Malolactic fermentation
partial
Length/Type of Aging
Neutral barrels and Sonoma Concrete tank, on lees
Bottling Date
May 22, 2025
Number of Cases
190
Vegan