"Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Chardonnay is meticulously hand harvested and, upon arrival at the winery, immediately whole cluster pressed to tank where it is cold settled and racked 24 hours later to another tank to begin fermentation. As the fermentation progresses, the tank is barreled down in stages. The first stage gets the most barrel extraction. The second stage is a combination of barrel extraction and fruit flavors. The third stage, at lower brix, preserves the fresh fruit characteristics. The wine finishes primary fermentation in 100% French oak barrels. The wine is aged for 10 months on the lees where it undergoes battonage (lees stirring) every two weeks, as each lot demands." —winemaker