| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | U.S.A. > California > Sonoma |
| Colour | White |
| Type | Still |
13% alcohol. This is from a vineyard planted in 1977, at 600 feet, 3.5 miles from the Pacific. Sandy loam soils. Whole cluster pressing then wild ferment in 11 barrels, two of which are new. Minimal effective sulfites added. This has a vital, mineral, saline nose of taut citrus fruit. The palate is stony and mineral with keen acidity, taut lemon, pear and green apple fruit, and a slight twist of mineral reduction, as well as hints of toast and spice. Taut and expressive, and one for the long haul, I reckon. 96/100
Full bottle 1,414 g. 11 barrels produced. Vineyard planted 1977 on sandy loam at 600 ft 3.5 miles from the Pacific. Hand-harvested 18 September (long after the Sonoma Coast 2020 Chardonnay). Whole-bunch pressed and spontaneous fermentation in French oak barrels (20% new). Lustrous pale green-gold. Richer, broader and arguably a tad more interesting than the Sonoma Coast 2020 bottling. A wine with real texture and drive and with comfortable fruit-acid balance. Crystalline structure and hugely appetising. 2022-2029
The 2020 Trout Gulch Vineyard chardonnay from Jamie Kutch was raised in twenty percent new oak in this vintage and comes in at an even thirteen percent octane. These vines were planted in 1977, so they are now over forty years of age- ancient by contemporary California standards. The wine is young and beautifully precise on both the nose and palate, with the bouquet wafting from the glass in a mix of pear, apple, almond, white soil tones, spring flowers and a deft touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and nascently complex, with a good core, fine balance and grip and a long finish. This is a very nice bottle and a near miracle, given all of the challenges thrown up in the face of winegrowers in California in 2020. I normally like to age Jamie’s chardonnays several years before drinking them, but in 2020, I might be inclined to drink this wine in its relative youth, as one really has no idea how wines from this vintage are going to evolve in bottle. 2022-2030+.
