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Fall 2006 Release
- 2004 McCrea Vineyard Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay
- 2004 Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley Chardonnay
- 2004 Durell Vineyard Sonoma Valley Chardonnay
- 2004 Kistler Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
Once or twice every ten years we are fortunate to have a vintage in California which enables us to produce chardonnay that is clearly reminiscent of classic white Burgundy; i.e. intensely flavored wines with delicate mineral characters, tightly wound around a firm acid backbone that gives lift and definition to the ripe fruit flavors, and leads to a long, persistent finish–powerful wines that are vibrant and light on their feet, never overbearing.
The 2004 harvest began in the last week of August, about two weeks earlier than normal. After an initial burst of heat and rapidly rising sugar levels, much patience was required to postpone picking in order to allow flavors to develop to their fullest.
As harvest approached, calibration of the vineyards was key; properly irrigated, moderately stressed, and moderately cropped chardonnay vineyards excelled in 2004 and we harvested grapes with the lowest pH’s and highest acids in two decades.
The low pH’s (many in the 3.2 range after primary fermentation) translated into agonizingly slow malolactic fermentations with many wines not finishing until late the following spring. Often wines that stop and start and struggle to complete their fermentations over the winter can be the most compelling, and our 2004 chardonnays demonstrate this fact.
Here are my brief tasting notes on our chardonnays:
2004 McCrea Vineyard Chardonnay $60 per bottle
Pale, green-tinged yellow. Intense aromas of lime blossom and ripe stone fruits. Very Chablis-like, with a flinty minerality which gives focus and definition to the compelling fruit flavors. Stony and firm-edged structure leads to a long uncompromising finish. Delicious now and will reward further aging.
2004 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay $60 per bottle
Pale, green-tinged yellow. Compelling aroma of nectarines, roasted grains and nut oil. A sharply etched wine with lively acids and much energy. Strong impression of extract drives stone fruit flavors complicated by smoke, truffles, and soil tones. Long, persistent finish. Delicious now, and ageworthy.
2004 Durell Vineyard Chardonnay $65 per bottle
Bright pale yellow. Pungent old style Burgundy nose featuring hazelnuts, minerals and pain grillé. Typical of the best vintages of this wine, it exhibits more soil-influenced notes than primary fruit. A lush, opulent wine which is vibrant and sharply delineated by its strong framing acidity. Finishes with outstanding length and persistence. Delicious now.
The 2004 harvest produced outstanding pinot noirs as well. In contrast to 2003 and especially 2005, the weather during set was ideal, allowing most of our pinot vineyards to reach the desired two tons per acre crop level. The 2004 pinot noirs are compelling, intensely flavored wines, with the classic structure and low pH character of the best pinots grown along the coast of western Sonoma County.
Here are my brief tasting notes on our pinot noir:
2004 Kistler Vineyard Pinot Noir $75 per bottle
Compelling aroma of crushed blackberry, graphite, minerals and flowers. Tightly wound and concentrated. The intense violet and cassis flavors are complemented by deep, nuanced soil tones. Very primary today and seductive, with a compelling black fruit character that will be difficult to resist. Its firm acid backbone will insure a graceful evolution in bottle.
Looking ahead to the Spring 2007 Release, our two 2004 Cuvée Pinot Noirs will carry their own particular vineyard designations: Cuvée Catherine Occidental Station Vineyard and Cuvée Elizabeth Bodega Headlands Vineyard. It has always been our goal to find specific vineyard sites of such distinction as to warrant our Cuvée designation. As wine consumers ourselves, we are most passionate about following from vintage to vintage the wines from a particular piece of ground, rather than “barrel select” blends from the best expressions of several different sites. So it is with special pride that we look forward to the release of our two vineyard designated Cuvée Pinot Noirs next spring.
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