The Gallo Signature Series Honors the Journey the Gallo Family Started in 1933, and It Celebrates How Far the Family Has Come

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VINTAGE 2009 RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY The Gallo Signature Series honors the journey the Gallo family started in 1933, and it celebrates how far the family has come. With some of California’s best grapes at her fingertips, third- CHARDONNAY generation winemaker Gina Gallo, has created three distinct wines that could only be crafted from the Gallo family’s unique combination of vineyards. For Gina, the Gallo Signature Series VARIETAL CONTENT: expresses her family’s passion for great vineyards and great wine, and it reflects the best the Gallo 100% CHARDONNAY

Winery has to offer. The Gallo Signature Series marks a return to hands-on, artisanal APPELLATIONS: winemaking for Gina, and it brings to life the enduring legacy of Ernest and Julio Gallo. RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY:

ABOUT RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY 89% LAGUNA RANCH VINEYARD ...... 11% DEL RIO VINEYARD Spanning 150 square miles in the heart of Sonoma County, the Russian River Valley has 15,000 BARRELS PRODUCED: 81 acres planted to wine grapes. Cooling fog from the Pacific Ocean drifts into the valley through ALCOHOL LEVEL: 14.6% the Petaluma Wind Gap, tempering the warm, sunny days here and giving the grapes a lengthy RESIDUAL SUGAR: 0.30 G/100ML growing season. TITRATABLE ACIDITY: 0.57 G/100ML

ABOUT LAGUNA RANCH VINEYARD PH: 3.44 ...... Most of the grapes for our Russian River Valley Chardonnay come from our family’s historic Laguna Ranch Vineyard. Nestled in the Russian River Valley AVA and named for the Laguna de Santa Rosa, the largest tributary of the Russian River, Laguna Ranch rests just 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean and its cooling, maritime influence. The soil is a combination of gravelly and sandy loam formed from soft sandstone on ancient coastal terraces, known as the Sebastopol Series.Onceanappleorchard,thisvineyardhasexceptional terroir that yields cool-climate Chardonnay with robust flavors and a crisp acidity.

VITICULTURE NOTES ...... Late winter and early spring were unusually warm and dry in 2009 in Sonoma County, kicking off a temperate growing season for the Russian River Valley. The summer months were cooler than usual, with fewer heat spikes above 90 degrees in July and August. An extended spell of warm temperatures in September allowed the grapes to ripen beautifully as we headed into harvest. Fortunately, the Chardonnay grapes for this wine were harvested before the heavy October rains.

WINEMAKING NOTES ...... For our Russian River Valley Chardonnay, we selected Clones 96, 131 and 4 from specific blocks on our historic Laguna Ranch vineyard, with the balance hailing from our Del Rio vineyard. The grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed, with press cuts taken by taste to maximize the flavor of each particular block or clone. Following barrel fermentation, the wine was cold settled then racked off heavy lees. This Chardonnay underwent malolactic fermentation and sur lie aging to give it a rich, creamy mouthfeel. The wine was aged for 15 months in a mixture of French and American oak barrels with a medium toast.

WINE DESCRIPTION ...... This Chardonnay is soft and rich, with integrated notes of oak and fruit, and aromas of sweet smoke. Uniquely expressive of the Russian River Valley, this wine offers fruit flavors of pear, lemon meringue and ginger, mingled with aromas of sweet vanilla cream and rustic, nutty, baked bread.