A Carbonic Chardonnay from Neely Wines

May 17, 2024 – Harvest 2023 certainly gave winemakers a lot of time to think about experimenting while they waited for the fruit to ripen after a cool, wet spring, late bloom and slow roll summer. At Neely Wines in Portola Valley, they do a lot of thinking, brainstorming and experimenting. They even installed an entire block of the new Sausal Creek Vineyard, which was planted in 2018, specifically for experiments. 

Located on the lower portion of the Neely property near the tasting barn, it’s called the Leoncita block, after the little mountain lion Lucy Neely saw there after the vineyard was planted. This part of the vineyard was originally called the Plum Block after the plum tree there, but that cat captured Lucy’s imagination and Shalini’s also, so they renamed it Leoncita, or “little lion.” 

Neely Winemaker, Shalini Sekhar, wanted see how Gruner Veltliner would do, as she already makes this varietal for her personal brand, Ottovino, and Lucy was curious how Cabernet would do, so those varieties went in. Of course, they planted Chardonnay, too, even though they already have three separate blocks on the upper vineyard that have long been making amazing Chardonnay. 

When the vineyard started producing, the Neely team, including assistant winemaker Virginia Orozco kicked around ideas like making some Chardonnay entirely in stainless, as well as some in neutral oak, so they could see the impact of the vessel on the flavors from this block. They made a stainless version (unoaked) Chardonnay beginning in 2019, and it is definitely a big hit. But 2023 was giving them additional time to ponder further experimental possibilities.   

Orozco, who graduated with a BS in Enology from Fresno State, and who joined the Neely team in 2021, wondered what a carbonically fermented Chardonnay would taste like. When Sekhar told her to go have some fun with grapes, Orozco tapped into that fantasy and decided to execute on it. 

She took some of the last pick of Chardonnay from the Leoncita Block on October 27 and put the whole clusters in a macrobin, flooded it with CO2 pellets and sealed it tight with every winemaker’s favorite tool: duct tape. After 7 days, she pressed off the juice and fermented it dry.

How does carbonic work? Deprived of oxygen, the grapes undergo spontaneous intracellular fermentation, courtesy of natural grape enzymes. This produces alcohol, and when you get just enough, around 2%, the berries burst. You’ve seen this happen with cranberries that go kapow when cooking them. Carbonic leads to dizzying bright candy store aromas and a vivacity that can feel kind of fizzy. 

Carbonic wines, familiar to most wine drinkers courtesy of that fruity mouth party Beaujolais Nouveau are generally made from red grapes and are meant to be drunk young. Using Chardonnay seemed cool, and she’d heard some Australians were doing it. 

Orozco admits she was worried that Sekhar’s immediate reaction to her idea of carbonically fermenting Chardonnay would be an invective against “orange wine,” but truth be told, the experiment worked so well they’re already planning on doing more this coming harvest. 

The experiment gave Orozco another creative outlet as well. For the label, she drew a fetching image of a green-eyed mountain lioness. It seems to channel all the powerful medicine associated with these cats. 

So, you ask: how does it taste? 

The 2023 Leoncita Nouveau Carbonic Unoaked Chardonnay is a tropical dream, redolent of dried coconut, passionfruit and fresh pineapple. The creamy-textured palate is filled with deep flavors mango, banana cream pie and grilled pineapple, yet it’s light and refreshing. Call this one a success. Also call it very limited and available to club only. 

For 2023, Sekhar and Orozco once again made the unoaked Chardonnay from the Leoncita block, as well as the oak-driven Chardonnays from the legacy blocks of Spring Ridge Vineyard. These include Bee Block, Holly’s Hill and Amphitheater, all of which are in the upper part of the vineyard, where the bulk of Neely’s Pinot Noir is also sourced.

While 2023 might have given the team a long-lasting case of hurry up and wait, it was a nice contrast to the heat-driven heartburn of 2022, where temps spiked suddenly. Sekhar shared that making the 2022 Rosé was definitely a bigger challenge and really showcases the contrast of the vintages. “The conditions were crazy different. I was on vacation when the heat spiked and Virginia sent me the numbers, and I literally had to get on a plane and fly back.” 

She says the 2022 was characterized by a lot of thiols in the grape skins, which lead to aromas typical in Sauvignon Blanc, which is what I immediately thought of when I stuck my nose in the 2022. 

The grapes for the Lucy Rosé of Pinot Noir are sourced from the middle rows of the steep Hidden Block, which is characteristically very fruity. They were picked in late August of 2022 for rosé, while they were picked on October 4 in 2023. That was the latest yet for Lucy’s rosé, which has been produced since 2020. “We lived in a weird state of anxiety in 2023,” Sekhar said. “It was the latest I had ever started harvest.” Prior to that the latest she had begun harvest at Neely was September 11, 2018 for Hidden Block. Ideally, she is looking for flavors without the sugars, to keep the alcohol low.

Thanks to that cooler more even vintage, the 2023 Lucy Rosé of Pinot Noir is a home run, perhaps the best yet, characterized by an authentic “what you smell is what you get” delivery of what the nose promises. Aromas of a spring garden, replete with roses, peonies and freesia mingle with rhubarb and strawberries, and then reappear on the palate, joined by a rush of bright flavors, including strawberry rhubarb, pink lemonade, Cara Cara oranges and mandarins.

It’s a winner, but go taste for yourself. And be sure to take a photo of the Leoncita Vineyard with the new O sculpture designed by San Francisco artist, Peter Shaw. 

Neely Wines is open for tasting Tuesday—Saturday, 11am-5:30pm, with food options by Chef Isabelle by pre-order. No outside food, please. More on Chef Isabelle and the other women of Neely another time!