Blue Farm Laceroni Vineyard Chardonnay 2015
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2015 marked California’s fifth year of drought, seeing essentially no rain during the summer and fall. Following the trend of 2014, budbreak was very early, and the season was well underway by mid-March. Early flowering in April coincided with some very unsettled weather. Wild, seesawing swings in temperature led to shatter as flowering was interrupted, and some vineyards saw crops reduced by as much as 75%. This weather gave way to a fairly mild and even summer until August, when heat spikes returned and saw several spikes in which temperatures reached triple digits. At Blue Farm they were relatively fortunate both in quantity and quality. Overall the quality was very high in 2015, and the wines have plenty of structure indicating they should age well.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2015 Chardonnay Laceroni Vineyard is a beauty. Racy, vibrant, and exuberant, with lots of white peach, exotic citrus, and floral notes, it hits the palate with medium body, terrific concentration, and high, yet integrated acidity. Aged 15 months in 45% new French oak, it’s a seriously impressive Chardonnay from winemaker Kenneth Juhasz.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Chardonnay Laceroni Vineyard reveals delicate scents of fresh pears, Golden Delicious apples and green mango with hints of crushed stones and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied with plenty of refreshing spiced apple flavors, supported by a lively acid backbone, it finishes long and creamy.
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Wine Enthusiast
Salty seasonings of wet stone ride along a brawny texture of mineral-laden earthiness and tightly wound layers of green apple in this lovely lush white. Made in small amounts it shows balance and graceful elegance.
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In 2007, Anne helped her friend Timothy Mott with the planting and farming of his small vineyard of Pinot Noir, 1861, perched on a rocky hillside overlooking the town of Sonoma. A co-founder of Electronic Arts and executive of numerous start-ups, Tim and Anne then partnered in the expansion of Blue Farm.
Critically acclaimed winemaker Kenneth Juhasz has helped make Blue Farm’s small lot, single vineyard wines since 2003. Blue Farm focuses on Burgundian Grand Cru style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines, drawing on Anne’s distinctive enological experience.
In 1981, Anne arrived from Germany to Sonoma, where she worked with legendary winemaker André Tchelistchef. For over three decades, Anne has been farming some of California’s most celebrated vineyards. In addition to her personal Blue Farm project, Anne is president and winegrower of 242 acres for The Donum Estate.
Living with the vineyard is the primary purpose of Anne’s craft. Her intuitive growing style develops wines of poise and power. Today, five Blue Farm vineyards reach from Sonoma’s Valley to its Coast and to the Russian River. Blue Farm wines reveal exceptional discoveries from lands graced with natural gifts.
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.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.