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Fall 2008 Release
- 2006 McCrea Vineyard Chardonnay Sonoma Mountain
- 2006 Dutton Ranch Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River Valley
- 2006 Durell Vineyard Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
- 2006 Kistler Vineyard Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
We are proud to announce our Fall 2008 Release which includes the 2006 chardonnays and 2006 pinot noir listed above.
There were many similarities between the 2006 growing season and 2005. For the most part, moderating conditions prevailed all summer, producing slow, gradual ripening without the serious spikes in heat which punctuated earlier vintages this decade. Interestingly, about half of our vineyards were picked on the exact day as in 2005. Even our pinot vineyards overlooking the ocean were blessed with ideal weather. An unusually large number of foggy mornings in July and August blanketed the vineyards until midday and insured that flavors and sugar levels developed at the same slow pace – with peak physiological ripeness at harvest occurring at the lowest Brix levels in years.
In 2006, crop thinning was the critical factor in assuring quality. Cluster counts per vine were normal in 2006, but the weight of the clusters was not. Our prized clones of chardonnay and pinot noir produced 120 gram clusters instead of the normal 60 grams, requiring our crews to thin most of our vineyards to one cluster per shoot to limit the number of pounds per vine to our goal of 2-4 lbs/vine, depending on vineyard density. In fact our crews made so many passes through the vineyards in 2006 counting clusters, dropping crop, and adjusting vine canopies that we gave them, for the first time, their well deserved year-end bonuses before the first grape had even been picked.
As is often the case, the start of the 2006 Harvest was a bit hectic, but then a welcome two week wave of cool weather spread over western Sonoma, allowing us to catch our breath; we finished the harvest at a deliberate pace and were able to give great attention to the smallest detail. Fermentations behaved nicely, averaging 2-3 weeks, and malolactic fermentations were done by the following Spring. The quality of the chardonnay vintage was immediately evident as the first lots of fermenting barrels approached dryness. These are compelling wines with great precision and purity with an uncompromising mineral and soil character and none of the exotic elements found in the warmest years.
Here are my brief tasting notes on our chardonnays:
2006 McCrea Chardonnay $75 per bottle
Green-tinged pale yellow. Classic Chablis nose featuring minerals, roasted grain, and a faint suggestion of tangerine skin. Richer than normal with loads of extract, but with a distinctly mineral spine that maintains the wine’s shape and stony precision. Delicious now.
2006 Dutton Chardonnay $75 per bottle
Green-tinged pale yellow. Pungent, leesy bouquet combines toasted grains, marzipan, brown spices, and minerals. Deeply concentrated but precise. Finishes with mouthfilling pit fruit flavors energized by a firm mineralilty and complex sulfides. Delicious now.
2006 Durell Chardonnay $75 per bottle
Green-tinged yellow. Distinctly pungent, soil-inflected chardonnay. A vibrant, tightly-wound wine densely packed and powerfully mineral on the palate. Brisk acids frame long, stony finish. Delicious now.
For many reasons, the 2006 pinot noir vintage is our favorite to date. These are fresh, vibrant, precise wines with complex black fruit characters. As evidence of the ideal growing conditions in 2006, our pinot noir grapes reached peak ripeness at the lowest sugar levels in a decade. Usually pinot grapes which are being picked at maximum flavor have begun to shrivel and dehydrate to some degree. Not so in 2006 – our grapes exhibited only the slightest dimpling, or none at all. During “cold soak” when typically the sugars rise in pinot musts from the extraction of the higher sugar shriveled berries, in 2006 this did not occur. As best evidence of the pristine condition of the pinot fruit, after 7 days of cold soaking before fermentation began, the sugar levels in the fermentors remained the same. Exceedingly rare. We invite you to taste the 2006 Kistler Vineyard Pinot Noir and the three 2006 cuvée bottlings to be released next Spring alongside your favorite 2006 pinot noirs made anywhere in the world.
Here is my brief tasting note on our pinot noir:
2006 Kistler Vineyard Pinot Noir $80 per bottle
Inky purple. Vividly perfumed, primary aromas featuring cassis, blueberry, violet, and graphite. Deeply concentrated and precise with terrific innermouth energy and freshness. Finishes with a captivating wildness and considerable soil character. Delicious now.
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