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Kesner Wines are made in a natural, non-interventionist style. The
approach from the outset has been to highlight exceptional vineyards
that produce a level of excellence unlike any other. The resultant
wines speak of both the vintage and the vineyard. The hope is that the
growing season leaves a heavier print on the wine than does the hand of
the winemaker.
Our Chardonnay is picked at night, when the fruit is cool, in an effort to retain its most delicate essence. The whole clusters are then gently pressed, and the juice transferred to French Oak barrels, no more than 30% of them new so as not to overpower the fruit. No acid, yeast, or malolactic bacteria are added, allowing the wine to ferment with the assistance of native yeasts; only those yeast found in the vineyard, and the resident populations of the winery. As a result, the wine ferments on its own schedule, finishing primary fermentation usually by late winter, and "waking up" and completing its malolactic fermentation late the following spring. The wine is aged on its lees, and then is racked and blended only once before bottling, in order to bring together the individual character of each of the barrels. The wine is in barrel for approximately 16 months.
There is no set schedule for this winemaking process, no formula or timeline. The wine and its phases of evolution are driven by the composition of the fruit, as it comes from the vineyard. The winemaking itself is more an endeavor of watching than anything else, watching in awe, as the natural processes translate the fruit into wine.
This more natural approach allows for a wine of more character, a wine that has a greater sense of where and how it was grown. It allows for the vineyard to speak. It is a very old method of making wine, and follows the greatest of traditions in winemaking.
The wine that results is truly one of a kind. It is a story of the vintage, and of that year spent in the vineyards. The continuity in these wines from vintage to vintage stems from the extraordinary nature of the grand vineyards in which they are grown.
Please contact us in regards to the availability of our current release, the 2006 Hudson Vineyards Chardonnay, of which just over 500 cases were made.
Winemaker:
Jason Steven Kesner, the owner of and winemaker for Kesner Wines, has lived in the Napa Valley since 1979, where both he and his family have been involved in various aspects of the wine industry for over 20 years. Currently the vineyard manager of Hudson Vineyards, where he grows fruit for some of the most highly regarded wine programs in the country, Jason views the production of his own wine as a clear extension of the seasons spent in the vineyard.
Jason has approached the wine from the foundation of a clear understanding of the vineyard, and hopes to fulfill the true role of Vigneron, guiding the process from pruning to glass. The best vineyards need very little manipulation, having found their own balance. Having realized that the best wines shined in the light of the same approach, Jason has allowed at every turn, the opportunity for the vineyard to speak through the wine.
Mailing List:
Kesner Wines are available via our mailing list, and are being served in a handful of restaurants in California, New York and Nevada. They are also available through a few select retail outlets. Due to the fact that a very small number of cases are made in any one given vintage, joining our mailing list is suggested.