2021 Gloria, Chardonnay, San Benito County, Siletto Vineyard

Gloria is a 2021 natural white wine consisting of 100% old vine Chardonnay from Siletto Vineyards, located near Tres Pinos in the heart of San Benito County. Offered exclusively to MADE club members, this limited-edition wine is our best expression of Chardonnay to date.

Siletto Vineyard is farmed by second-generation winegrower, John Siletto. When we met John, it felt like kismet. John grows an eclectic mix of 34 organically farmed varieties spanning from French, Spanish, Portuguese, Austrian, and Italian. His love for his grapes, the land and the San Benito growing region runs deep. When we came across the old vine Chardonnay on property, we knew we had something special on our hands.

You see, the Siletto Vineyard offers near-perfect growing conditions for Chardonnay. Located 30 miles from Monterrey Bay, San Benito County enjoys cool, foggy mornings followed by warm, sunny afternoons with a gentle breeze flowing through the valley. Cared for with the utmost attention, these Chardonnay grapes offer beautiful acidity with balanced minerality influenced by gravelly loam soils.

While Chardonnay might be one of the most commonly planted grapes, this wine is anything but. A labor of love, Gloria was hand-picked on September 7th, 2021 in the wee hours of the morning and trucked to our winery in Napa. The grapes were whole cluster pressed and transferred to neutral French oak barrels for fermentation using native yeasts. 

Following primary fermentation, the grapes went through a natural malolactic conversion on a quartz crystal, just to make sure the vibes were on point. Aged for six months sur lee, we filled each bottle by hand before sending it down our brand-new in-house bottling line. 

Gloria shimmers like the golden sun-kissed hills of San Benito county. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, the wine’s lemon-haze lets you know this natural wine is legit. Aromas of Meyer lemon and vanilla burst from the glass, and one sip will have you screaming Hallelujah! We’re talking passionfruit, lemon curd and a beautiful minerality influenced by the gravelly loam soils found in the vineyard. This wine is a beautiful expression of San Benito’s terroir and with only 45 cases made, it won’t be around for long.

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