Named for the golden hills of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range that frames our family-owned San Bernabe Vineyard in Monterey, Diora is inspired from “d’Or,” the French phrase meaning “golden” and bestowed on beautiful, sun-filled regions. No effort has been spared along Diora’s 30-year journey from vineyard-to-bottle. The result is an expressive Chardonnay overflowing with flavor, depth and personality and a devotion to indulgence.

WINEMAKER'S TASTING NOTE
This Chardonnay has a beautiful, pale golden hue with tropical aromas of pineapple that mingle with toasted oak and hints of ripe apricot, creme brûlée and pear. The delicate flavors of crème brûlée in this white wine give way to lovely notes of key lime, white peach, and marshmallow in a medium-bodied mouthfeel.

— James Ewart, Winemaker

BARREL REGIME
This wine was aged for ~fourteen months in predominantly French barrels creating nice weight on the palate. The Damy Vosges long-toast barrels gives the wine nice length with slight toasty notes. The Cadus barrels gives the wine nice vanilla sweetness and depth. About 45% were new oak barrels and the remainder of the wine was barrel fermented in 1+ years seasoned barrels so the fruit aromas were not overwhelmed by new oak.

TECHNICAL NOTES
Vintage: 2020
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
Appellation: Monterey (~80% San Bernabe, 20% Santa Lucia Highlands)
Aging: 14 months in barrel (~45% new) Primarily French Oak
pH: 3.52
Total Acid: 0.53 G/100ml
Alcohol: 14.5% by volume