Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesJames Hall taps his network of growers for this regional blend, working with several Dutton Ranch sites in Russian River Valley, plus Durrell, Bootlegger’s Hill and Gap’s Crown, to name a few. He allows the juice to ferment spontaneously in French oak barrels (29 percent new), where all of it undergoes malolactic conversion. The result is potently rich in a satisfying, savory way. This 2020 is earthy and wholesome, integrating the oak and the lactic acidity into an overtone of caramelized butter, a note that doesn’t dominate the wine’s clean and regal savor.
A vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.