Reserve Wines
Eighty-four years of farming + Thirty years of winemaking + Two blocks
= TWO VERY SPECIAL WINES
What does it mean to make a “reserve” wine? For every winery, it’s a little different. There are no laws or rules governing the use of the word in American winemaking. In our case, the Reserve wines came about as the result of curiosity. "What would happen if we…"
…used only fruit from our oldest, most concentrated blocks?
…picked different sections of our old vine blocks separately to isolate the most interesting fruit?
…pressed the grapes with increasing pressures and compared the results?
…tried out some more refined methods of winemaking?
…numbered and tasted each individual barrel?
…blind tasted and compared each of these different combinations?
These wines are the culmination of decades of farming, winemaking, and learning at the Hendry Ranch. In thirty vintages of the Hendry label, these are the very first wines created with the Reserve designation. Decades of vineyard planning, hours of quiet contemplation in the cellar, and even more hours of tasting trials have brought us to this moment. We are nearing the second release of these very special and evolving Hendry Reserve wines.
We invite you to try them. {Scroll down for available Reserve wines}
There are three things that set these wines apart: vineyard sites; winemaking techniques, and barrel selection.
VINEYARD SITEs
George Hendry is a farmer, but as many of you know, he is also a scientist. Studying the Hendry vineyard and its wines has been a life-long experiment. The fruit for Hendry Reserve wines is sourced primarily from two of the oldest blocks on our ranch, Block 9 Chardonnay and Block 8 Cabernet.
Blocks 9C and 9E were planted in 1974. These are exceptionally low-yielding, old vines, in deep, stony soils. The fruit they produce is concentrated, complex and flavorful due to the "Old Wente," selection of clones and the small amount of fruit they produce. This is the kind of planting that would never survive on a larger, more profit-oriented vineyard site. Many of its contemporaries have long since been ripped out in favor of more lucrative varieties, leaving these among the oldest Chardonnay vines remaining in the valley.
Hendry Cabernet Reserve is made with grapes from Blocks 8C, D, E and F. These gnarled, slow-maturing and low-yielding vines were also among the first that George planted in 1974. Block 8 has a long history of inclusion in some of Napa's finest and most foundational wines–a history of which we are very proud.
WINEMAKING
Winemaking at Hendry is remarkably hands-on. For the Chardonnay Reserve, George stands by the press as the grapes are brought in from the vineyard. As the pressure level is slowly increased, he creates distinct lots - or "press fractions" each with slightly different chemistries and characteristics. (See above.) These tiny lots are then barreled individually. The wine remains sur lie (on the yeast) for 12 months, which adds wonderful texture and body. The creamy feel of the wine is enhanced by regular bâtonnage, or hand-stirring of the barrels, during this time.
For the Cabernet Reserve, George also works with multiple small lots - but in this case, the first segmentation happens in the vineyard. Our vineyard team picked the fruit from different sections of the old blocks. Each lot is crushed, cold-soaked and fermented with extended skin contact. They are then placed in a selection of barrels with different cooperages and ages for an extended aging period of 24 months. Ultimately, George selects individual outstanding barrels to build the final blend for the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve.
Barrel Selection
After the flurry of decision-making that accompanies harvest, it's time for the barrels to work their magic. Even barrels from the same cooperage and forest can vary from one another in small but significant ways. George studies these small variations as diligently as he studies differences between press fractions or vineyard lots. As he checks the progress of the small stacks of barrels in the quiet of the cellar, he sets aside those that stand out as particularly striking to be thoughtfully matched and blended for further aging. The barrels selected from the 2020 Chardonnay Reserve lots were 85% new French oak, primarily Cadus cooperage. For the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, George found the wines aged in 100% new French oak from Taransaud to be the most compelling. In each vintage, the mix of cooperage and age will shift, reflecting the best barrel selection of that year.
The resulting limited-edition bottlings have all the hallmarks of age-worthy wines: dense, layered, complex and structured, with pinpoint balance and flavors that linger on the palate in the long, elegant finish.
We are so proud of these additions to the Hendry portfolio. They have been a true labor of love and learning for George Hendry, and we hope you enjoy drinking them as much as he has enjoyed making them.
RESERVE PROGRAM FULL TEXT
RESERVE WINES CHEAT SHEET
