Donkey & Goat Eliza 2019

Donkey & Goat is one of California’s pioneering natural wine producers — Jared and Tracey Brandt have been making low-intervention wines in the Bay Area since 2004. Eliza is their flagship white: wild yeast fermented in once-used French oak, then 10 months of barrel aging on the lees, bottled unfined and unfiltered with only a small sulfur addition. The result is a natural California Chardonnay of genuine complexity that is nothing like the heavily-wooded, over-manipulated Chardonnays that defined California in the 1990s.

Tasting Notes

Chardonnay made with restraint and respect for the fruit. Lemon, green apple, and stone fruit on the nose; the once-used oak adds texture and a light spice without overwhelming the variety. Unfined and unfiltered, with a natural freshness and specificity that conventional California Chardonnay production removes.

Food Pairing

Roast chicken, fish in cream sauce, soft aged cheese, risotto. The natural California Chardonnay for the table.