1999 Chardonnay Whitney's Vineyard

"Today Fisher Vineyards," says owner Fred Fisher, "is focused on ripeness. We don't simply pick on sugars, so we've brought in fruit as high as 26o brix." And the last few late, cooler years have been an adventure, Fisher adds. "It was difficult getting the red grapes ripe in '98, as a lot of rain fell in the fall." Both the Wedding and Lamb fruit was declassified into the estate's Coach Insignia red wine. "We also had a cold fall in '99, and a very late harvest, but the weather stayed dry." The crop level was bigger than that of the previous year, but still a good 25% below normal. Following the '99 harvest, all the Fisher wines were fermented with wild yeasts. The Lamb and Wedding cabernets, and most of the RCF merlot, were made in small open-top fermenters for the first time. The current plan is to bottle the '99 reds about three months earlier than past practice. Mia Klein is winemaking consultant here.