With a few years of age, this has turned into a wonderful balance between generosity and freshness. Has all the hallmarks of great Sonoma Coast Chardonnay—bright fruit, a touch of honeycomb with a firm core.
VINEYARD
The Chardonnay at La Cruz Vineyard sits on a hillside that overlooks the Petaluma River, a few miles southeast of the town of Petaluma. It’s a late ripening site and the vines are small. Recently converted to organic farming in an effort to boost soil health. The harvest comes late here, around the end of September/beginning of October most years. The Wente selection of Chardonnay here is considered by many winemakers to be the best of the many Chardonnay selections available—small clustered, low yielding, concentrated flavors.
WINEMAKING
Whole cluster fruit is sent through just the rollers on a destemmer to break up the bunches and begin extraction before splitting the wine in half between oak and concrete. After time in each vessel, the wines are swapped so that all wine sees both materials. Native yeast is used for both primary and naturally occurring malolactic fermentation with use of battonage. Fermented and aged in a combination of concrete eggs and neutral oak barrels.
VINTAGE
2016 was a good year to be a grapevine, after four years of drought the winter finally gave up a bit of rain. The growing season, although somewhat warm and early, was forgiving as the fruit came in the door in excellent shape across the board. After the lower yields of the previous vintage, it was nice to have a good amount of fruit to work with.
Vintage: 2016
Wine Type: White, Still, Dry
Farming: Biodynamic
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay, Clone 4, Wente
Vineyard: La Cruz Vineyard
Appellation: Petaluma Gap, Sonoma Coast
Winemaker: Byron Kosuge
95 Points
Entices with aromas of Bing cherry, raspberry, and cedar spice. Indicative of the cool vintage, the wine carries a freshness throughout. The palate offers a harmonious balance between bright red fruit, spice, and nicely woven tannins.
95 Points
Deep garnet-purple in color, it strides confidently out of the glass with notes of crushed blueberries, ripe, fresh blackberries and warm cassis plus hints of black cherry, cardamom and nutmeg. The full-bodied palate is full of crunchy black fruits. It's rich and ripe firm chewy tannins provide additional structure and complexity as you make your descent into a long and flavorful finish.
94 Points
Aromas of honey, ginger, and key lime radiate from this elegant Chardonnay. A burst of fresh citrus, lime, and star fruit enlivens the front palate upon first sip and is quickly followed by ginger and white pepper, all underscored by subtle notes of white peach and cardamom. Vibrant acidity and steely minerality give the wine excellent structure as it moves into a long, flavorful finish.
93 Points
Robust aromatics of boysenberry, blackberry, cranberry, and black cherry are the centerpiece of this wine, harmonizing with the underlying aromas of violets, sandalwood, and forest floor. The first sip opens on the palate with a rush of softness and density, and lush, savory tannins. Red berries, blackberry, and cassis envelop the tongue on the mid-palate, gently punctuated with subtle acidity followed by a long, flavorful finish.
94 Points
Aromas of fresh lime, verbena, and gooseberry are followed by a juicy, aromatic front palate with bright acidity that wakes up your taste buds. The heightened aromatics develop even greater complexity on the mid-palate, featuring fresh lemon and star fruit, with just a hint of green apple and mango. Gorgeous structural precision leads to a long and chiseled finish with lasting minerality.
90 Points
Aromas of cranberry, sour cherry, plum, and orange rind, complemented by hints of forest floor, pine needles, and rosemary. The wine opens with flavor of juicy red fruit supported by spicy undertones of red pepper and black tea. The freshness of its red fruit are enhanced a vibrant core of light acidity and full rich tannins all of which linger gracefully in the long finish.
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