Grigsby Chardonnay is made from a 0.87-acre vineyard block, originally planted in 2007 and grafted to Chardonnay clone Bernard 76 in 2019. The vine spacing is 1.0m and the row spacing is 1.2m (8,333 vines/hectare), with north-south row orientation. The soils are dark clay over weathered basalt and limestone. It is a robust site, while remaining relatively early ripening. The combination of vine density and site exposure gives us fruit with a broad flavour profile and good concentration.
Handpicked parcels of fruit were whole bunch pressed, settled overnight, and racked to barrels for a wild yeast fermentation in French oak hogsheads; approximately 40% was new oak. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally on 75% of the blend and completed in spring. The wine was left on lees, mostly unstirred, for 10 months prior to blending and bottling.