Sidekick Chardonnay 2023

The bulk of our Chardonnay is from one of the oldest farming families in Lodi and the first to plant Chardonnay in the region.  The Kautz family has been committed to responsible agriculture since the founding of their farm in 1948. Now run by the forth generation, they continue to grow exceptional grapes across Lodi. The final blend for the 2023 Chardonnay comes from three of Lodi’s sub-appellations: Clements Hills, Sloughhouse and Mokelumne River. 2023 Sidekick Chardonnay is 100% fermented and aged in stainless steel. Every effort was made to preserve freshness in the wine by reducing the grapes’ exposure to oxygen the moment they enter the winery.  The free-run was collected from the press and set aside. The grapes were then whole cluster pressed under nitrogen. The lots were fermented separately in cooled tanks to extend fermentation time and increase aromatics. After primary fermentation, roughly 30% of the wine was allowed to go through malolactic fermentation separately. The final wine blend was finished just before bottling, with this vintage being 80% free-run juice combined with 20% press juice.