History
The vineyard sits on Vine Hill Road directly across from Kistler's home vineyard. It began as a Pinot Noir planting and was top-grafted to Chardonnay using budwood taken from Kistler next door, which is as direct a statement about what the site is for as a grower can make. Scherrer Winery is its sole customer and bottles it as a monopole.
The Site
About an acre on Vine Hill Road in the Russian River Valley. The planting density is far higher than California standard, high enough that the rows have to be worked by hand.
Vines and Blocks
Chardonnay, from Kistler budwood, planted tightly enough that the vines compete and the fruit comes in more concentrated than the acreage suggests.
The Wines
Scherrer's Helfer Vineyard Chardonnay is made in tiny volume and varies sharply with the season: the 2022 ran to forty-six cases after poor weather at bloom.