Taking some time off from Champagne for a while (yet still staying with one of the approved 7 varieties ), decided to take a look at the new Model Farm Chard. The wine is made by two smart wine people, both who work for wineries I also buy from: Joanna works for Kutch and Sean works for Rhys, and together they make Model Farm as their project together.
I like the wines, especially the Chardonnay, and bought a three pack of their release. This wine is solid, and mixes acid, fruit and a clean profile nicely. The dried pineapple and tart apple work well. Thanks for reading and stay safe in these crazy times we are in.
2018 Model Farm Chardonnay Sonoma Valley- USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (4/1/2020)
Opened yesterday. Initially, this seemed disjointed, even with some suspended CO2 making it tingle on my tongue. We didn’t drink more than about a third of the bottle so I just tossed it back to the fridge for today. The wine has pulled together, much better than yesterday. There is a flinty/steely aroma to the wine. The palate covers well, with dried pineapple, pear, pippin apple, tangerine/citrus pith and some anise. Finishes with a creamy lemon quality, flirting with a note of lemon curd. Structurally, this wine seems approachable to me, keeping in mind I opened to yesterday, and I also believe that the wine was just bottled within the past couple months. Taken all together, I like what is here and the time open really helped the wine to show.
2018 Model Farm Chardonnay Sonoma Valley - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (4/1/2020)
Opened yesterday. Initially, this seemed disjointed, even with some suspended CO2 making it tingle on my tongue. We didn’t drink more than about a third of the bottle so I just tossed it back to the fridge for today. The wine has pulled together, much better than yesterday. There is a flinty/steely aroma to the wine. The palate covers well, with dried pineapple, pear, pippin apple, tangerine/citrus pith and some anise. Finishes with a creamy lemon quality, flirting with a note of lemon curd. Structurally, this wine seems approachable to me, keeping in mind I opened to yesterday, and I also believe that the wine was just bottled within the past couple months. Taken all together, I like what is here and the time open really helped the wine to show.
I had my last bottle of their 2015 chardonnay a few weeks ago, and it was gorgeous. Very similar to Kutch chardonnay (surprising, right?) in quality and style.
I’m guessing a couple years of patience with the 2018, which I’ve also ordered, would be rewarded. Frank’s note seems to suggest the same.
It would be an interesting blind tasting, Model Farm and Kutch Chardonnay from the same vintage.
Yes, the wine seems to have unfolded completely now, filling in the palate. The pear, lemon and apple are coming through well today, along with some flint. This turned out to be a real nice bottle of Chard.
Len, hey, just doing my part. I know they don’t make very much of this wine and I know both of them will appreciate your support.
I wanted to reach out to say that we value the feedback we receive on here and greatly appreciate the support of us and our wines. We have been looking forward to this Chardonnay release for quite some time! We took year off from producing white wine in the 2017 vintage due to in part to the logistical challenges of sourcing from the Santa Cruz Mountains (with our winery in Sonoma), and the constraints on our time from having full time Winemaking jobs outside of Model Farm. That isn’t to say we didn’t hunt high and low for a compelling Chardonnay to produce that year. Nothing felt quite right, so we skipped the vintage rather than produce something we weren’t 100% about.
In 2018, we were again searching for extraordinary terroir that would produce a Chardonnay in the style we love to make and drink - mineral driven, energetic high acid, age worthy, compelling. I got a response from a fruit ad I had reached out to and immediately perked up at the address. I knew this area of the Mayacamas Mountains well and of the volcanic, old vine vineyards that are scatted in the area. I figured it was probably too good to be true, but I left immediately to go check it out just in case. Wood Valley Vineyard, tucked away in the hills of southeastern Sonoma, checked every box for us: steep terraced hillside, rocky soils, east facing orientation, great clonal selection, responsible farming by good people, and much more (I could go on…). While the site may be different than what we produced in 2016, our house style and values are the same and the unique terroir of the vineyard speaks loudly in the finished wine. This is what is most important to us.
Thanks again for all of your thoughts and interest in what we do. Stay well and hope everyone is drinking well!
When I turned in my initial modest order (a mere 3 btls), Joanna sent me a lovely thank you email. It was certainly not expected, but very much appreciated! I suspect that I mentioned that my son (Bull Mastiff) was named Kutch played a role…anyway, classy lady!
![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
), decided to take a look at the new Model Farm Chard. The wine is made by two smart wine people, both who work for wineries I also buy from: Joanna works for Kutch and Sean works for Rhys, and together they make Model Farm as their project together.