2021 Silhouette Chardonnay

Winemaking

Silhouette is a limited production white wine worthy of a collector’s cellar. This hallmark Chardonnay captures the Schlatter Family’s vision of crafting an old-world style white wine from Napa Valley. Since the first vintage in 1993, we have selected our very best Chardonnay lots for the Silhouette bottling. This vintage is no exception. Sourced from the best Chardonnay block in the historic Stanly Ranch Vineyard on the Napa side of the Carneros AVA, our Silhouette is a uniquely captivating wine. Meticulously crafted using time honored old world techniques, the gentle native barrel fermentation allows for the full expression of the fruit, resulting in a wine that is elegantly balanced, refined, and complex.

Hand harvested at night to retain vibrant acidity, the grapes for Silhouette were whole cluster pressed to a temperature controlled stainless steel tank to settle the juice, then racked into French oak barrels the following day. The winemaking techniques were classic Burgundian—spontaneous native yeast barrel fermentation, gentle bâttonage and natural malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged for 17 months on fine lees in 50% new French Burgundian oak barrels, and was racked once before bottling.

Tasting Notes

The 2021 Silhouette is everything we love about great Chardonnay—bright, fresh, full, complex, long and delicious. Barrel fermented with native yeasts in the classic Burgundian style, the wine is unctuous and full while expressing the bright acidity of the cool Carneros appellation. The palate is a delightful blend of honeysuckle, juicy pear, and lemon zest, with a touch of tropical pineapple and a subtle mineral undertone. The fruit is bright and lively, underlined by a creamy texture that gives it a luxurious, well-rounded mouthfeel. There’s a gentle interplay between the fruit, the oak, and a precise touch of acidity, creating a long, well-balanced and nuanced wine. An excellent food companion, the wine is also stunning on its own and will continue to evolve over the next 10+ years.