2015 Silhouette
Varietals
100% Chardonnay
Appellation
Napa Valley
Alcohol
14.5% by volume
Flavor Profile
Silhouette is such a captivating wine and challenging for our production team. We take every possible risk allowing long native fermentations while constantly monitoring its progress. It is a very complicated wine to make, an exercise of balance with one goal in mind: finesse, refinement and complexity. Our aim is to surprise you with this wine, to create a Chardonnay like you have never tasted before; unique, extraordinary and noble with the ability to age for 10 years or more.
The 2015 Silhouette starts with beautiful hints of fresh almonds, acacia and citrus notes. The wine then evolves towards exotic fruits with papaya, mango and peach. In the mouth it is defined by a beautiful length with an abundance of mineral notes and outstanding acidity. The mouthfeel is extremely intense but very fresh and elegant as well.
- Vineyard Notes
Silhouette is our limited production, top white wine. Each vintage, our very best Chardonnay fruit goes into the Silhouette bottling. For the 2015 vintage, the wine is comprised of grapes grown on our Stanly Ranch Estate Vineyard and the neighboring Hyde Vineyard in Carneros. The grapes for Silhouette were handpicked at peak ripeness and hand sorted before being gently pressed until only one bar of pressure. The juices were cold settled overnight and then drained to barrel with maximum care to prevent oxidation. We were able to achieve native primary and malolactic fermentations. Total fermentation time was 10 months with malolactic happening at the same time as the alcoholic fermentation, enhancing integration of oak and flavors. The wine was aged for 16 months on full lies in 50% new French oak barrels.
- FROM ROBERTPARKER.COM: "The 2015 Chardonnay Silhouette...
…has a lovely orange blossom, ripe apricot and Golden Delicious apple-laced nose with hints of honeyed toast, cedar and salted almonds. Medium-bodied, very fine and fresh with a lovely silkiness to the texture, the palate has fantastic intensity and minerality, finishing on a lingering savory note.” —Lisa Perrotti-Brown [94 POINTS]
- From JebDunnuck.com: "From sites in Napa Valley and aged in 50% new oak, the 2015 Chardonnay Silhouette...
… is more layered and interesting than the base cuvee. Buttered citrus, plenty of flinty minerality, brioche and buttery notes all give way to a vibrant, nicely textured Chardonnay that has bright acidity and a clean finish. —Jeb Dunnuck [93 POINTS]