2021 Black Kite Cellars Richard Dinner Chardonnay Sonoma Mountain

The 2021 growing season offered optimal conditions from start to finish, which is why this vintage is being rated the best in the last 20 years. With minimal rainfall in the early months of the year and mild temperatures in Spring and early Summer, the vines had normal bud break in mid-March and successful flowering in June. The remainder of the season was moderate and stable, allowing us to leave the fruit on the vines as long as we wished to ripen optimally with good acidity. These ideal growing conditions gave us showing marvelous depth of flavor, bright acidity and great balance and structure, and they promise to improve with cellaring as well.

This is the inaugural release from the Richard Dinner Vineyard located on Sonoma Mountain. A vivid reflection of the site’s coastal proximity, our 2021 Richard Dinner Vineyard Chardonnay offers lively Meyer lemon, ginger spice, apricot, and pineapple notes, complexed by subtle hints of sweet oak. The generous fruit core gains depth and dimension mid palate with the emergence of a lovely minerality that together with mouthwatering acidity adds lift through the long, graceful finish. Enjoy upon release or hold for up to 7 years.