Surprised no one mentioned this.
2023 CAREX CHARDONNAY / SONOMA COAST
Dream Team.
The O’Connell Vineyard shows the power of meticulous, dedicated farming. Our friends at DuMOL planted the site in 2004 using a unique selection of Wente Clone Chardonnay first isolated at the Hyde Vineyard in Carneros. This high-density vineyard yields small quantities of vivid, potent fruit that arrives at the winery with zippy freshness and a core of deep minerality.
2023 Tasting Note
Pours a brilliant pale yellow hue. With air, a mild cut of reductive flintiness blows off, revealing scents of freshly baked bread and underripe stone fruit. Chalky minerality and lively acidity frame a surprising depth of flavor, with a palate focused on ripe citrus. The massive concentration of flavor at the vineyard is obvious, with a nearly endless finish. Wonderful.
Suggested Drinking window: 2025 - 2040
2023 CHARLES HEINTZ CHARDONNAY / SONOMA COAST
A fresh look at a classic.
These old vines, planted in coveted Goldridge Sandy Loam soils, have been basking in the gentle climates northeast of the town of Occidental for more than 40 years. We find Chardonnay here with an inherent richness, lifted by bright acidity and powerful structure. We have shared an organically farmed block at the property with Littorai for nearly 16 years.
2023 Tasting Note
The most approachable Chardonnay upon release this year. Explosively aromatic, the ever-present tropical fruits are in full, vivid focus here. A tinge of Madagascar vanilla rounds everything out. The cool vintage can be felt on the palate, sending a lightning bolt through palate-staining flavors of lemon curd, pineapple and brioche. A joy to drink.
Suggested Drinking Window: Now- 2035
2023 CUVÉE CHLOE PINOT NOIR / SONOMA COAST
Vim and Vigor.
We source two blocks of dry-farmed Pinot Noir from the O’Connell Vineyard, both of which are planted on shallow sandstone soils in a cold, foggy part of the Green Valley. Meter-by-meter planting ensures that clusters are tiny, and the resulting ratio of skins to juice enables a deep intensity of flavor. Careful work in the cellar is used to ensure the wine is bright, lifted, and explosively aromatic.
2023 Tasting Note
Neon magenta in the glass. Chloe’s wine offers powerful scents of crystalline red fruit that jump out at you, framed by a distinct sense of minerality and a touch of fresh pine needles. The palate follows this thread, with vibrant, juicy acidity and tannins primed for earlier drinking. There is an intense saturation of flavor here, opening up with some time in the glass. Delicious.
Suggested Drinking Window: Now - 2038
2023 MINDEGO RIDGE PINOT NOIR / SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS
La Honda’s Finest.
The steep slopes of Mindego Ridge occupy a remote spot in northern San Mateo County, enclosed by parks and open-space preserves. We see a long, drawn-out growing season here, allowing for the perfectly farmed Pinot Noir to preserve its natural acidity while ripening. The Gollnick family planted the land in 2009 and have farmed it ever since.
2023 Tasting Note
Requires some time in the glass to offer its best. The shimmering ruby wine is aromatically diverse, with the ubiquitous crunchy cranberries fighting for space with a powerful herbaceous influence from the stem inclusion. Dense, almost chewy open-knit tannins provide the structure for flavors of bing cherry, violet, and blood orange. Perfect balance of acid, even this young. Love this.
Suggested Drinking Window: 2026 - 2039