The 2006 Croser is rich and tastes of riper fruit flavours, away from the pear of Chardonnay to nectarine and away from the apple and red currant of Pinot Noir to aromatic strawberry. The cold juice was allowed to settle to near clarity without any additions of any sort. The juice was gravitated to French oak barriques of greater than 5 years of age and fermented there by natural strains of yeast from Petaluma's vineyards. The acid softening malo-latic fermentation (MLF) was then conducted in tank using Petaluma's own native bacteria. The MLF also contributes a nuance of crème brulee aroma to complement the emerging brioche character of the yeast contact and the ripe Chardonnay and Pinot Noir fruit. The wine was allowed to sit on it yeast lees to clarify and to achieve the complexity and texture barrel fermentation and lees contact confers. The individual Croser ingredients were then blended: the fruit blend being 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay.
