Chardonnay The Temptress 2021 Cattleya

Tasting Note Chardonnay The Temptress 2021

The nose is dominated by yellow peach and lemon oil, with chalky, subtly salty nuances emerging from beneath the fruit aromas. Hints of roasted hazelnut are also present, and the oak flavors enhance rather than overwhelm the fruit. On the palate, the concentration characteristic of the small berries from the 2021 vintage manifests as a rich mouthfeel, while the acidity maintains a good balance. The finish is long and brimming with minerality. While it is already thoroughly enjoyable now, it will likely gain even more depth in about two years.

Grape Varieties

The true flavor of the Chardonnay variety. In the cooler Sonoma plot, the wine offers notes of citrus and stone fruits, along with minerality. Although the 2021 harvest yielded a smaller crop due to drought, this enhanced the fruit's concentration without compromising its acidity.

Cellaring Potential

Please enjoy by 2030. The acidity and concentration of this vintage bring balance to the wine. Serve at 10-13 °C. Serving it any colder will cause it to lose its texture. Decanting is not necessary.

About Cattleya

Cattleya owns no vineyards, and that is deliberate. Bibiana González Rave, who grew up in Colombia and trained in France with a BTS in Cognac and an oenology degree from Bordeaux, buys her fruit from growers she knows well across Sonoma County and the Napa Valley, helped by her parallel work as a vineyard consultant. She launched the brand in 2012 from Rohnert Park, naming it after Cattleya Trianae, Colombia's national flower since 1936. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah are the focus, the Syrah shaped by her years pruning in Côte-Rôtie. Harvest calls are made by taste rather than numbers, with acidity and tannin treated as the structure. Wine Enthusiast named her a trendsetter in 2013, the San Francisco Chronicle Winemaker of the Year in 2015. Tastings are by appointment.

Terroir & Climate

The advantage Sonoma County's holds over Chardonnay stems from the presence of the cold Pacific region. Fog seeps deep inland through gaps in the coastal hills, which are less than 600 meters above sea level, lowering nighttime temperatures and delaying ripening. Slow ripening means that acidity is preserved, and it is precisely this acidity that sets Californian Chardonnay's wines apart. Cattleya takes advantage of this diverse range of plots, from the fog-prone Russian River Valley to the warmer inland hills, and instead of cultivating a single plot, carefully selects specific plots for cultivation.

Winemaking

Bibiana determines harvest based on taste, not refractometer readings. Acidity is the top priority, and this choice, more than any subsequent process, defines the character of Temptress's wines. Some lots are harvested at night when the fruit is cool. At Rohnert Park's winery, the grapes are sorted by hand and then gently pressed. She describes her wines as handmade, and her goal is not pure power, but rather to create texture on the mid-palate.

Food Pairing

Roast chicken with a lemon-butter sauce, this is, of course, a classic pairing, but here it's the perfect match. Other options:

• Dungeness crab, served plain with melted butter;
• Charcoal-grilled Halibut;
• Risotto served with spring beans. Here, the acidity balances the cheese's flavor;
• Comté made with young chicken.

The acidity cuts through the richness, while the texture complements the creaminess.