Bouchaine Vineyards

This Wine Comes From Vines Dating To Bouchaine’s Original Plantings In 1981, Growing On Our Windswept Napa Valley Carneros Hillsides. It's A True Expression Of Chardonnay—bright, Citrusy Flavors Graced With Only The Merest Hint Of Oak. Shows Classic Carneros Lime And Grapefruit Styling. A Hint Of Vanilla Graces The Mid-palate. Its Fruit Flavors, Bright Acidity, Notable Texture (a Hallmark Characteristic Of Carneros Chardonnay) , And Relentless Finish Harmonize In An Elegant, Stylish Wine. Straw Gold In Color, It Dances In The Glass Like Sunlight.

Bouche D’or, Or “taste Of Gold,” Refers To The Amber Color And Luscious, Sweet Essence Of This Wine. You May Know That The Characteristic Honey-apricot Fragrance, Found In Many Late Harvest Wines, Comes From What’s Known As The “noble Rot,” Or Botrytis Cinerea, Which Occurs Naturally On Grape Clusters.

This Single-vineyard Wine, A Sought-after Favorite Of Bouchaine Bacchus Club Members And Those In-the-know, Comes Only From The Dry-farmed (non-irrigated) Gee Vineyard. The Gee Vineyard Is A Small 16-acre Property Across The Road From The Winery, Where The Rare Practice Of Dry Farming Has Been In Use For Many Years. It Produces Small Yields Of Grapes With Uncommonly Concentrated Flavors. We Then Coax The Wine Into A Beauty Sleep In French Oak Barrels For Approximately 11 Months, Which Enhances The Already-complex Flavors Even Further.

Medium-light Golden Yellow Color;‏ Attractive, Forward, Baked Apple Pie Aroma With Hints Of Coconut, Butterscotch, And Toasted Hazelnut; Medium-full To Full Body; Rich, Layered, Lemony, Melon And Baked Apple Flavors With Bright Acidity And Overtones Of Vanilla; Lingering Aftertaste. An Aromatic And Flavorful Chardonnay That Is Nicely Balanced And Shows Some Eleganc

"brilliant! The Nose Explodes With Aromas Of Ripe Tropical Fruits With Hints Of Citrus Zest...with A Rich Creamy Core...butterscotch And Oak Tones. Possesses A Great Sense Of Balance With A Vibrant Acidity Framing The Generous Fruit."

"87 Points! A Very Nice, Super-drinkable Chardonnay Marked By Brisk, Cool-climate Acidity And A Bracing Minerality...pineapple, Peach And Apple Flavors Have The Slight Herbality You Often Find In Napa Chardonnay."

"87 Points! Attractive, Forward, Plummy, Cherry Fruit Aroma With Notes Of Cola And Charred Oak...medium-full Body; Herbal, Cranberry, And Cherry Fruit Flavors...with A Lingering Aftertaste.

Our Winemaking Team Has Decades Of Experience Working With World’s Most Popular Variety, Chardonnay. Our Goal Is. Most Of Bouchaine’s Chardonnay Juice Lots Are Fermented And Aged Sur Lie (on The Yeast Solids) In The Same Barrel For Close To One Year To Add Texture And Toasty Vanilla Nuances. We Use Oak As An Unobtrusive Seasoning That Adds Spicy Notes And Broadens The Fruit Offering. Prescribed Periodic Stirring Serves To Release Flavors That Are Bound To The Yeast. A Portion Of The Wine Is Cold-fermented In Stainless Steel Tanks To Preserve Delicate Floral And Fruit Aromas. S To Frame The Chardonnay Grape’s Essence And Not To Overwhelm It. When Our Chardonnay Grapes Arrive At The Winery, They Immediately Get Pressed To Extract The White Wine Juice From The Skins And The Seed

At Bouchaine, Our White‏ Grapes, Mostly Chardonnay, Arrive At The Winery And Go Directly Into The Press, Which Gently Squeezes The Juice Out Of The Berries. This Juice Is Then Settled Overnight And ‘racked’ Off Any Remaining Grape Particles The Following Day. Most Of This Juice Is Then Placed Into Barrels Where We Inoculate With Yeast And Allow The Fermentation To Occur. The Fermentation Converts Sugar To Alcohol And Carbon Dioxide And Creates Amazing Aromatics

At Bouchaine In Carneros Napa Valley, Most Of Our Chardonnay Is Barrel Fermented With The Exception Of A Few Lots Retained In Stainless Steel Tanks For A Crisper, Floral Wine To Use In Blending. About 30% Of Our Oak Barrels Used Each Year Are Brand New, To Enhance The Flavor And Texture, But Not Overwhelm, The Chardonnay With Oak Flavor.

When Thinking Of Wine Fermentation, One Most Often Thinks Of The Fermentation That Is Conducted By Yeast That Turns Sugars Into Alcohol. Although This Is The Primary Fermentation That Occurs In Winemaking, There Is A Secondary Fermentation That Occurs In Many Wines That Can Also Dramatically Affect The Flavor, Acidity, And Mouth Feel Of The Wine. The Malolactic Ferementation Mostly Takes Place During Barrel Aging.

2009 Proved To Be A Fantastic Harvest Year. The Cool Summer Gave Way To September Heat That Quickly Ripened The Fruit To Bright And Well-defined Pinot Noir Intensity. Marked By A Third Year Of Drought Conditions, Limited But Prudent Watering Allowed For Full Development Of The Small Crop. Our 2009 Carneros Pinot Noir Is A Blend Of Burgundian Clones From Our Own Vineyards As Well As Select Lots From Neighboring Vineyards - Gee, Mahoney Las Brisas, And Casa Carneros.

The Chilly 2010 Vintage Produced A Beautiful, Pale Golden Wine. Crisp Green Apple, Limoncello, And Pear Fruit Notes Form The Central Fruit Core. These Are Followed By A Touch Of Vanilla, Ginger And Butterscotch - A Perfect Marriage Of Bright Acidity With Rich Flavor. The Hallmark Bouchaine Sueded Texture Persists In A Longlasting Finish.

A Striking And Vivid Pinot Noir Layered With Intense, Bright Cherries, Berries, And A Lingering Finish With A Plush Texture. All In All, The Wine Is A Reflection Of The Vintage- - More Refined Grace Than Bold Opulence. This Wine Comes Packed In A Beautifully Hand Carved Redwood Box, One Bottle With Box

Bouche D’or, Or “mouth‏ Of Gold” Refers To The Amber Color And Luscious, Sweet Essence Of This Wine. You May Know That The Characteristic Honey-apricot Fragrance, Found In Many Late Harvest Wines, Come From What’s Known As The “noble Rot,” Or Botrytis Cinerea, Which Occurs Naturally On Grape Clusters.

The Bouchaine 2007 Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir Was Blended From A Selection Of The Most Dramatic Estate Lots To Yield The Most Expressive Wine Possible.

The Bouchaine Bacchus Club Is A Celebration Of The Pleasures Of Wine And Life--at A 20% Discount! Bouchaine Bacchus Club Members Enjoy Wines Delivered To Their Door Four Times A Year.

Show Your Sweetie How Sweet You Can Be! This Gift Pack Has Your Little Sweet Tooth In Mind. It Includes Our Pinot Noir Chocolate Sauce, A Package Of Our Delicious Chocolate Covered Cherries, And A Bottle Of Our 2010 Bouche D'or

This Is Our Core Trifecta Gift. It Includes Our Collection Of Award-winning Wines: The 2009 Carneros Pinot Noir, 2010 Estate Chardonnay, And 2010 Bouche D'or. A Perfect Addition To Any Wine Collection Or Holiday Feast.

Got A Gourmet On Your List? They'll Enjoy This Specially Made Pack Featuring Olive Oil Alongside Three Of Our Exclusive Rubs: Lamb, Pork And Fish - As Well As Three Of Our Outstanding Mustards: Garlic And Onion, Red Jalapeno And Curry. This Gift Pack Is The Perfect Kitchen Companion

This Gift Pack Is Ideal For The White Wine Lover. It Has A Trio Of Some Of Our Best 2011 White Varietals: Pinot Gris, Riesling, And Pinot Blanc.