Purchased by Larry Hyde in 1979, and planted two years later, this renowned property is cultivated as 44 distinct blocks. The Hyde-Wente selection used for this Chardonnay is planted on the best soils at Hyde: very low vigor and extremely well-drained sandy, clay loam, which lower the yields even more than usual for this small-berried clone. 2017 was another classic year for this iconic site.

The 2017 growing season kicked off with record rainfall, a welcome addition after almost five years of drought. In the early spring, the weather began to clear, and the growing season began to look up with sunny and warm conditions. Around flowering, weather conditions started to oscillate between foggy and windy days and unusually hot spikes. This continued into June, where unseasonably hot weather left clusters with small berries and a much lighter crop than predicted. More very hot weather arrived at the end of August and remained for two weeks, causing us to scramble to get the grapes into the winery at ideal ripeness levels. Fortunately, our many farming relationships delivered wonderfully, escaping most of the heat-related stresses, delivering perfectly ripe fruit. We started harvest on August 18th and brought our last grapes in on September 27th.

This Chardonnay is from blocks planted exclusively for Patz & Hall in 1997 and 1999 using the famous “Hyde Wente” selection of Chardonnay. The 2017 vintage displays classic Hyde Vineyard traits of delicate white flowers, tangerine zest, honey, and cinnamon. Poised and energetic, this wine is citrus-driven with orange blossom, hints of yellow apple, and warm pie crust weaving a complex nose. The wine is bright and elegant on the palate; good density and concentration lead to a lingering richness fanning out across the long, acidic finish.