I make Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from West Sonoma Coast, Sebastopol and the deep end of the Anderson Valley. I also make wine from the Sierra Foothills…higher elevation vineyards with interesting/complex soils, picked early for complex & refreshing wines.
Chardonnay overview:
This is from a single vineyard of 45 year old vines, on the coast between Sebastopol & Occidental. The old vines and the vineyard soil & position make possible the combination of excellent acidity with excellent depth and density. That’s a rare combination and is something that distinguishes top Chardonnays, esp white Burgundies. This shows here, and it’s what I credit for the multiple Michelin Star placements I’ve gotten.
Style/character: yellow apples (& green apples, mostly yellow tho), citrus & peel, bits of white peach, with saline & savory elements. Higher acid/structure, deep concentration, a relatively low amount of oak, a med to low level of ripeness and little/no ‘fruity sweetness’ that CA wines often have. Because of this and it’s savory character, tasted blind it’s often picked as a Meursault or Chablis by folks in the business, esp the 2018.
Note on pop and pour, this will show tropical fruit as an ‘inital act’. With air time it will settle down to the above ‘main act’. Both are appealing, but to help it get to the ‘main act’: I’ll open it an hour or more ahead, pour some into a 2 cup pyrex glass measuring cup and pour it back in the bottle. It doesn’t have to be pyrex of course, but lots of folks have them, and the pyrex pouring lip fits perfectly into the top of the bottle. Or I’ll have a glass over several evenings and enjoy its evolution. This goes for my reds as well. I mention it here because usually folks don’t think of giving Chardonnay air, but these and other top Chardonnays benefit from it.
The Mixed Chardonnay 3 pack:
One bottle each:
2015, 2016 & 2017 Sonoma Coast Chardonnays
A great trio. Each shows different aspects of the character described above, and they really benefit from the time in the bottle! I expect all my Chardonnays to be 20+ year wines (my reds too), tho they’re drinking well now, esp with air.
The 2018 Chardonnay 2 pack:
Two bottles of:
2018 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
A brilliant and cool vintage. Picked in the third week of October at 20.5 brix and it’s typical acidity. Fully ripe, despite the low brix, bumping up the complexity and savory nuances. Looking to tie 2014 as top vintages.
The Classics Chardonnay 2 pack:
One bottle each:
2018 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
2017 Cuvee Voile Chardonnay
The 17 Cuvee Voile is my best chardonnay. From two old vine vineyards that are far away from each other, yet are kissing cousins in character (the Sonoma Coast above, plus another NorCal vineyard with the same soil/ripening/position characteristics). Blending made the better wine, but required a California designation. I’ll go for the better wine over the better label every time.
The voile character is extremely subtle, and is used to reveal more of the vineyard character (geeky: in addition to ethanol, fermentation produces glycerol, an alcohol that’s one step away from being a sugar, and gives the wine a pho sweetness…the Voile consumes some of the glycerol, allowing more of the vineyard character to show through).
The Mixed Pinot 3 pack:
One bottle each:
2011 Moore Ranch, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
2013 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
2013 Russian River Pinot Noir
The Anderson Valley is very red fruited, delicate and nuances when it opens up. Both the 11 Moore Ranch and 13 RRV is good examples of ‘old school’ Russian River pinots…the Moore Ranch from a bit longer hang time in a cool/cold vintage, yielding excellent results.
The Classics Pinot 3 pack:
One bottle each:
2012 Nash Mill Vineyard, Anderson Valley Pinot Noir
2013 Cuvee Abigail, Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
2010 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
The first time at BD for the 12 Nash Mill, it showed well at an Anderson Valley blind tasting of Berserker palates (a few years ago). Abigail (George Ladd’s wife) is always a fav of mine, the 13 being more red fruited in a classic style. The 2010 has always been best showing of my long aging wines, and it’s really coming out now.
The Foothills 2018 Adventure 2 Pack:
One bottle each:
2018 Alney Sierra Foothills Tempranillo
2018 Giesler Baron Vineyard Sierra Foothills Cabernet Franc
The Foothills 2017 Adventure 2 Pack:
One bottle each:
2017 Alney Sierra Foothills Tempranillo
2017 Giesler Baron Vineyard Sierra Foothills Cabernet Franc
All four are exceptional wines, picked at ~22 brix with an interesting & balanced structure. Both are high elevation vineyards, in El Dorado, with excellent soils & 25+ year old vines.
The 2017’s are a cross between a Napa and an Old World style, in an appealing and deep way. Showing well now, but they’re still evolving and benefit from some air time.
The 2018’s are in the Old World camp…higher structure (acidity and interesting tannins) with perfumey crunchy red fruit (the Tempranillo leaning red but still Temp). Both have no new oak (raised on Neutral barrels) and show well for it.
Thanks for your interest!
