Chardonnay
2021 Lorenzo Chardonnay
Lorenzo Vineyard, made famous by Helen Turley of Marcassin, is located in the Santa Rosa plains of the Russian River Valley was established in 1973 and is one of the oldest chardonnay plantings in the Russian River Valley. It is meticulously farmed by the Bazzano family and renowned for its track record of world-class quality.
$57
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2021 was a drought year, with Lorenzo receiving about a quarter of its regular rainfall. Flowering was early and cool weather during created shatter in the clusters, contributing a more open cluster architecture but also about half the crop that we expected. We waded through a brief heat spell in early September that further reduced crop but concentrated acid and flavors, picking on September 28th. Fruit came in with just touches of Botrytis, yielding more mineral-driven juice at pressing with lower yields due to the high skin-to-juice ratio.
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Notes of honeysuckle and concession-stand confectionary aromas from the county fair along with touches of vanilla and lime custard. Palate of excellent acid backbone along with pear and softer yellow fruits with late minerality. Very long, mouth-watering finish following tons of complexity throughout.
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Lorenzo Vineyard, Russian River Valley, 13.6% Alcohol by Volume, 49 cases produced, <.01 residual sugar, 3.39 pH, 6.8 g/L TA, winemaker is Greg La Follette.
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The 2021 Chardonnay Lorenzo Vineyard pours a youthful golden hue and reveals a fresh perfume of honeysuckle, golden apple, and lemon curd. Full-bodied and fresh, with good lift within its rounded mouthfeel and notes of melon, ripe pear, and buttered citrus, it’s a ripe and charming Chardonnay to drink over the next couple of years.
Audrey Frick @ jebdunnuck.com - 7/21/2023
The seriously good 2021 Marchelle ‘Lorenzo Vineyard’ Chardonnay is brimming with bright acidity on the palate. Lemon zest and green papaya flavors combine with salty accents on the palate
Owen Bargreen @ owenbargreen.com - 5/2023
2021 Bien Nacido Chardonnay
2021 is our first year working with fruit from the famed Bien Nacido vineyard in Santa Maria Valley, even though Greg La Follette has had a decades long relationship with the family. We are grateful to the Miller family and are proud to offer you this single-vineyard expression of chardonnay from Block “L” of Bien Nacido which is one of their oldest plantings of chardonnay, dating back to 1973.
$50
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A cool spring pushed back bud break by a few weeks coupled with a summer that lacked major heat spikes and storms allowed the grapes to ripen evenly. Morning fog created a touch of Botrytis, which contributed to the mouthfeel. We harvested the chardonnay at Block “L” on September 28th and it was trucked up to our winery in Sebastopol, pressed to tank and into neutral oak barrels the same day.
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Rich stone fruit and white peach give way to balanced but bright acidity along with hints of umami and mouth watering brightness with jolly rancher on the late palette.
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Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley, 13.7% Alcohol by Volume, 67 cases produced, <.03 residual sugar, 3.2 pH, 8.2 g/L TA, winemaker is Greg La Follette.
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Subtle aromas of sandalwood, toasted almond and lemon syrup show on the nose of this bottling. A persistent acidity cuts through lemon, tangerine and wet-rock flavors on the palate. — Matt Kettmann, Wine Enthusiast
2021 Manchester Ridge Chardonnay
Manchester Ridge Vineyard hovers above the fog line at the edge of the rugged Mendocino coast above Point Arena at 2,000 feet elevation. No other vineyard endures what nature throws at it in the way of wind, rain, temperature, and weathered soil. And yet Manchester Ridge’s extremes allow its chardonnay fruit to hang longer, nurturing ripeness and complexity without giving up acidity and freshness. Greg La Follette has coaxed award-winning wines from this vineyard for over a decade and this vintage could be among his best ever.
$57
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Harvested between the 2nd and 3rd weeks of October, this was our last fruit to come into the winery. The vintage was even and relatively warm, allowing for an uncharacteristic full ripening before the fall rains set in.
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On the nose the Manchester Ridge exudes aromatics, with orange blossom, perfume and tropical fruit. Caramelized nectarines and white peaches vie for prominence on the lacy palate and are soothed by a soft vanilla kiss. Acidity is crisply self-assured and in balance with high, sea cliff expressions.
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Manchester Ridge Vineyard, Mendocino Ridge, 14.5% Alcohol by Volume, 47 cases produced, <.01 residual sugar, 3.37 pH, 8.3 g/L TA, winemaker is Greg La Follette.
2021 Tritone Cuvée Chardonnay
The “Tritone” is about creating flavorful harmonies that bring together distinct fruit from three counties and integrating them into a unique and magnificent whole. It’s where our winemaking team of Greg La Follette and Evan Damiano work their magic. Mendocino provides 48% with fruit coming from Manchester Ridge at elevation on the coast and Haiku, inland in the Sanel Valley. Sonoma provides 33% with fruit hailing from Black Knight and the venerable Lorenzo Vineyards in Russian River Valley. Last to the blend is Santa Barbara at 19% with fruit from “L” block, the oldest Chardonnay at Bien Nacido Vineyard planted in 1972.
$45
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The 2021 vintage was quite disparate between the North Bay counties and the Santa Maria Valley of Santa Barbara County. Bien Nacido experienced classic Central Coast moisture in the form of morning fogs that caused water to condense on the grapes, allowing Botrytis to take hold in many of the tightly-packed Chardonnay clusters, forcing an extra level of fruit-sorting during picking and at the winery. Manchester Ridge, at 2,200 ft and above the fog line of the Mendocino coast, experienced very low disease pressure. Black Knight had a relatively early flowering, with cold weather creating very open cluster architecture and ideal conditions for harvest. Haiku and Lorenzo were, as always, the reliable performers we know and love!
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Golden-straw hues foretell aromas of vanilla-lemon custard, cantaloupe and honeydew. Fruit notes continue with sweet lime, pear and quince framed with just a touch of oak spice. The palate follows the nose, with ripe, almost tropical fruit and an unctuous mouthfeel that carries from start to an extra long finish with great ending viscosity.
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48% Mendocino, 33% Sonoma and 19% Santa Barbara, 14.7% Alcohol by Volume, 225 cases produced, <.01 residual sugar, 3.38 pH, 6.6 g/L TA, winemaker is Greg La Follette.