Sonoma Coast’s New Style of High-Acid Chardonnays
Sonoma Coast producers are embracing a new style of Chardonnay driven by complexity and acidity.
Sonoma Coast producers are embracing a new style of Chardonnay driven by complexity and acidity.
"This is unquestionably a winery to start following."
– Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Advocate
Winery of the Year 2015, Doug Wilder, pdwr
The Fort Ross-Seaview AVA may be only three years old, but its ability to produce distinctive and thrilling wines has been recognized for far longer
The 2019 Pinot Noir Mother Rock comes from Mt. Eden and 777 clone fruit. It has a medium ruby-purple color and takes time to unfold to form scents of graphite and dashi, with plush, ripe red and blackberry fruit and notes of dried lavender and star anise. The palate is spectacular, satiny in texture and fanning out to dark, spicy flavors with a fresh burst of acidity and a very long, layered finish. It deserves another 2-3 years in bottle.
"The 2018 Pinot Noir Mother Rock is dense, heady and explosive, with tremendous concentration, unctuous sweetness and exceptional balance. Ripe red/purplish berry fruit, lavender, cloves and leather infuse the 2018 with tremendous character. In this range, the Mother Rock stands out for its bright red berry fruit and chalky, white pepper overtones that confer freshness. This is such a gorgeous, arrestingly beautiful wine. I loved it."
"A mix of clones 37 and 777 from shallower, rocky soils, the 2017 Pinot Noir Mother Rock was mostly destemmed and brought up all in 50-60% new French oak. Not harvested until October 2, it offers a more ruby color as well as a Burgundian profile in its darker cherry, earth, spice, and underbrush aromas and flavors. More medium-bodied, silky and elegant, it's lightly textured, has moderate tannins, beautiful balance, and a clean finish. It shines for its incredible purity and elegance more than power and richness, and should evolve beautifully for over a decade."
“With a deep, incredibly floral character as well as classic jammy raspberries, toasted bread, and spice aromatics, this beauty is more full-bodied and powerful, with building tannin, obvious oak, and a great finish. Young and unevolved, hide bottle for at least 2-3 years.”
Youthfully flippant, this block of the Wayfarer Vineyard is sitting largely in sandstone, where the grapes pull remarkably revealing minerality from the soil. Racy and flinty, this medium-bodied, structured and flirty wine dances in a generosity of rich red fruit, raspberry mostly, seasoned in clove and cardamom that’s fresh and incredibly seductive. Still, it’ll age; drink now through 2024.
Medium to deep ruby-purple, the 2013 Pinot Noir Mother Rock (made from Mt. Eden and 777 clones) has a gorgeous, spicy nose of Chinese five spice, raspberry coulis, red currant jelly and dried rose petals with a touch of smoked meat. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is opulent and seductive, with velvety tannins and lovely, understated freshness, finishing with lingering perfumed notes.
Brooding in dark cherry and earthy spice, this fully figured wine offers well-integrated oak. With a savory and powerful profile, it has a forceful grip on the palate accented by black tea, truffle and juicy vibrancy. From a mix of clones (37 and Dijon 777), some fermented whole-cluster, this is a structured wine from a meticulously farmed coastal site.