I first met Louis Zabala about twenty years ago when I first got into Organic Viticulture. I have learned a great deal about Chardonnay from Arroyo Seco grapes, especially the fruit of his family's property. The land his family farms is unique for California in that it has next to no topsoil. The ground covered in sand and river rock gives this Chardonnay a special place to struggle in the strong winds of the Salinas Valley. The conditions make it challenging but not impossible for an organic grower to succeed. I enjoy working with this fruit because of its clean expression of the varietal, and I love that it always wants to ferment a little reductive. This Chardonnay was fermented in small barrels and a few stainless drums. There should be no notes of new oak. It is unfined and unfiltered as it should be.