Terroir: 'La Carrière' Estate Vineyard & Chardonnay
La Carrière is an exceptionally pure Chardonnay that directly translates the terroir upon which it is grown into wine. The remarkably steep, shallow, stony soils are reflected in the structured, tightly wound, concentrated wines of La Carrière.
Nearly the same size as the Montrachet ‘climat’ in Burgundy at almost 18 acres, the south and southeastern facing La Carrière is a distinctly unique wine from the neighboring Belle Côte vineyard, much like Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet vines give markedly different wines.
“La Carrière is an exceptionally pure Chardonnay that directly translates the terroir upon which it is grown into wine.”
Two vineyard blocks in La Carrière exceed 40% grade and all are underlain with volcanic, rhyolitic ash-flow tuff producing low fertility gray, white, and light beige soils and the lowest yields among all the Chardonnay vineyards.
Planted in 1995, the vines in La Carrière have the size and trunk diameters of much younger vines due to the low vigor and lack of water retention in the well-drained, rocky soils. The high elevation from 1200-1700 feet plays a significant role in the character of the wine as the morning fogs and cooling afternoon marine breezes impart a natural vibrancy and freshness to the wine.
