Horse & Plow Chardonnay, Mendocino Co., California 2021

Horse and Plow Winery merges the best of old and new world techniques to produce hand-crafted, authentic natural wines from northern California

• Winemaker: Chris Condos and Suzanne Hagins
• Farming: Organic
• Variety: Chardonnay
• Terroir: Cool climate hillsides from Cox Vineyard, west of Ukiah.
  
• Vinification: Naturally made with native yeasts, minimal sulfur. This Chardonnay was hand-picked, whole cluster pressed, fermented and aged in a combination of French and Austrian oak, including about 25% new oak.
• The wine also went through partial malolactic fermentation, and was aged for 9 months on the lees, imparting a slightly creamy texture.
  
• Tasting Note: This is a beautifully balanced Chardonnay with subtle oak aromas of vanilla and spice, notes of wet stone, apple, and pineapple. A creamy, medium body, and finishing with excellent acidity.
• Production: 150 cases made.
  
• Scores: 90 Points, Wine Enthusiast. Sourced exclusively from the Cox Vineyard west of Ukiah, this is a beautifully balanced Chardonnay with subtle oak aromas of vanilla and spice, notes of hazelnut, wet stone, lemon curd, and apple pie. A creamy, medium body, and finishing with excellent acidity.
  

From our 2022 Explorer Club Notes:

Horse & Plow | Chardonnay | North Coast, California  | 2020

This is what I like to call a winter white: A fuller-bodied, round, leesy white wine that will help us keep warm in the cold months. 

Chris Condos and Suzanne Hagins began Horse & Plow winery in Sebastopol, in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley  in 2008. Chris is a UC Davis graduate with a degree in plant ecology who worked with vineyards and winemaking at Pine Ridge Winery before starting Oakville’s Vinum Cellars in 1997 and working as a consulting winemaker for Kathryn Kennedy Winery since 1998. Suzanne began a career in wine while working in fine dining in Charleston, South Carolina. Exposed to some of the greatest wines in the world, she sought opportunities to learn more about how they are made. She worked harvests at Comte Armand in Burgundy and then at DeLoach, David Bruce, and Goldeneye in California before starting a small Pinot Noir brand, Lutea. Together, Chris and Suzanne make a great team. 

Chris and Suzanne work completely organically and biodynamically in the vineyards, making small lot fermentations with minimal intervention. This
North Coast AVA Chardonnay is from vineyards in both Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Winemakers must use the North Coast AVA appellation for wines sourced from vineyards across Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano Counties. The fruit is hand-picked,  whole-cluster pressed, fermented entirely in neutral French oak barrels, then aged sur lie in barrel for an additional nine months before bottling with minimal sulfur. She’s pretty, she’s soft, and she’s not a buttery, unctuous Chardonnay. Think more Chablis or Bourgone-Blanc with this, as Suzanne and Chris’ old-world techniques have helped create an old-world-leaning wine. 

Enjoy this Chardonnay with roasted potatoes, melted leeks, and baked chicken thighs to keep you toasty all through winter. —Cara Patricia Dec 22