Issue number 18 of Mutineer Magazine hits shelves today and my column in the magazine this month includes an overview of some great values to be found in Paso Robles—including this chardonnay from Stillwaters Vineyards.

When I visited Stillwaters Vineyards back in March, I not only appreciated their wines, but got a little insight from one of the owners, Paul Hoover, that I found perfect for readers of our website.  He shared an example of how pruning techniques impact both the cost and the quality of wines.

When you prune grape vines, the number of buds you leave on each cane will directly impact how many grapes the vine produces.  For those who don’t know, a cane is basically a branch on the vine.  Each bud produces a cluster of grapes.  Therefore, if you leave one bud on a cane, that cane will produce one cluster of grapes.  Pruning this way intensifies the flavor in the grapes, but it also lowers crop yields.  Leaving 2 buds per cane is more economical, but it lowers the quality of the grapes.  Leaving 3 buds or more is pushing the vines too far and significantly lowers the quality.

Many of the more expensive wines are produced using a one bud pruning technique, while more economical wines use a two bud technique.  To be clear, there are many other factors that impact the cost and quality of a wine.  But I found this to be an interesting one that would be highly relevant to our readers.

I also found this particular chardonnay to be interesting.  While chardonnay is still a very popular wine, I’ve noticed a trend over the past few years where more and more wine consumers are turned off by the classic Californian oaky and buttery chardonnays.  The oakiness, obviously, comes from oaking, and the butteriness comes from malolactic fermentation.  But more and more consumers, myself included, are turning toward “naked” chardonnays that have no oak or malolactic fermentation for a brighter, fruitier style.  But another option lies somewhere between these styles.  And that’s what Hoover has strived to achieve with this chardonnay.

The Stillwaters Vineyards chardonnay is oaked, but did not go through malolactic fermentation.  The result is a wine that smells much like a traditional Californian chardonnay up front, with oak on the nose, but has crisp, fresh fruit flavors on the palate, with vibrant acidity.

This wine has a really nice vanilla fragrance on the nose (from the oak), along with a touch of banana.  The palate comes alive with good acidity and bright fruit flavors like mango, banana, and pear.  The lingering finish shows pear, light peach and touch of mineral.

It’s really a nice wine, but you’re not likely to find it in your local wine shop or restaurant, as Stillwaters sells most of their wine direct to consumers through their wine club.

Wine: Stillwaters Vineyards
Variety: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13.9%
Rating: 87
Price:  $20.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.  The author also visited the vineyard as a part of a press junket with the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.