2021 was described as a "cold start to a warm, fast finish." The crop was slightly lighter due to a variety of water conservation efforts growers implemented to limit water use. This was true across Sonoma County and among all varieties. Though the season was void of long, lingering heatwaves, grapes in warmer regions matured slightly earlier due to it being a lighter crop and grapes from the cooler region ripened at a more normal rate. Despite yields being lighter than the average, the 2021 crop is viewed as an excellent vintage.

Low intervention winemaking helped to capture the nuance of the vineyard and to preserve the vibrant acidity in the wine. Whole clusters were brought into the stainless-steel tanks to extract flavor and free-run juice; they were gently pressed after 24 hours, yeast added, and then moved into barrels for fermentation. The wine is aged 7 months in French oak (10% new) without stirring of the lees or malolactic fermentation. Lightly fined and filtered.

Varietals: 100% Chardonnay Alcohol: 13.4%
TA: 6.9 g/L
pH: 3.4
Cases Produced: 698

Sonoma County’s Petaluma Gap AVA continues to set the bar higher for the entire region for its ability to produce fruit with exceptional freshness, minerality, and a remarkable depth of clean varietal character. Our Rodgers Creek single vineyard selection grows in a rocky soil substrate in a cool, windy climate with ample sunshine, making this one of the most expressive sites for growing Chardonnay.

The beginning of the 2019 growing season was defined by copious rainfall and late soil moisture. The long, warm summer saw very few extreme heat events, with foggy mornings setting the stage for vibrant & expressive wines. The long, relatively mild finish to the season, not without its moments of unpredictability, helped to preserve freshness and finesse in the fruit with abundant hang time teasing out great color, structure, and tannins. Yield size is slightly below average. All in all, exceptional fruit with bright acidity and ample texture promises an amazing vintage.

The grapes arrive to the winery at first light where they are weighed and then placed, whole cluster, into the press. The pressing cycle takes nearly two hours and gently extracts the cool and vibrant juice which is then transferred to small, stainless-steel tanks for chilling and settling. Within 48 hours the juice is transferred to small French oak barrels where the fermentation takes place. During fermentation we determine which of these individual barrels will undergo malolactic fermentation, as it is only necessary on a small percentage of the wine in order to impart the additional layers and to provide more full and complete flavor and rounded texture.

BLEND: 100% Chardonnay AGING: 15% new French oak for 7 months, 85% neutral French oak ALCOHOL: 13.5%; TA 7.6 g/L; pH 3.4 CASE PRODUCED: 742

Sonoma County’s Petaluma Gap AVA continues to set the bar higher for the entire region for its ability to produce fruit with exceptional freshness, minerality, and a remarkable depth of clean varietal character. Our Rodgers Creek single vineyard selection grows in a rocky soil substrate in a cool, windy climate with ample sunshine, making this one of the most expressive sites for growing Chardonnay.

The 2018 growing season was the first harvest for the new Petaluma Gap AVA, which totals 4,000 acres. This vintage was marked by abundant rains the preceding Winter which adequately replenished the soil. Spring was mild and unremarkable featuring timely bud break and flowering leading to small berries with excellent color and pronounced flavor. Summer culminated in a Labor Day weekend spent in final preparation for the first pick, which took place the first week of October 2018. Harvest in the cool and windy Petaluma Gap normally falls 10-14 days behind warmer AVAs.

The grapes arrive to the winery at first light where they are weighed and then placed, whole cluster, into the press. The pressing cycle takes nearly two hours and gently extracts the cool and vibrant juice which is then transferred to small, stainless-steel tanks for chilling and settling. Within 48 hours the juice is transferred to small French oak barrels where the fermentation takes place. During fermentation we determine which of these individual barrels will undergo malolactic fermentation, as it is only necessary on a small percentage of the wine in order to impart the additional layers and to provide more full and complete flavor and rounded texture.

BLEND: 100% Chardonnay AGING: 15% new French oak for 7 months, 85% neutral French oak ALCOHOL: 13.5%; TA 7.6 g/L; pH 3.4 CASE PRODUCED: 742

Sonoma County’s Petaluma Gap AVA continues to set the bar higher for the entire region for its ability to produce fruit with exceptional freshness, minerality, and a remarkable depth of clean varietal character. Our Rodgers Creek single vineyard selection grows in a rocky soil substrate in a cool, windy climate with ample sunshine, making this one of the most expressive sites for growing Chardonnay.

The grapes arrive to the winery at first light where they are weighed and then placed, whole cluster, into the press. The pressing cycle takes nearly two hours to gently extract the cool and vibrant juice which is then placed into small stainless-steel tanks for chilling and settling. Within 48 hours the juice is transferred to small French oak barrels where the fermentation takes place. During fermentation we determine which of these individual barrels will undergo malolactic fermentation, as only a small percentage of these wines is required in order to impart the additional layers which provide more full and complete flavor and round out the texture of the wine.

100% Chardonnay