The longer I do this, the more convinced I am that 100% small oak cooperage is not the right answer, at least for the wines I hope to make. This wine, like the 2013 Chardonnay, was fermented and aged in a combination of 225 liter barrels, 300 liter barrels, and concrete. For the first time, it includes some wine from a vineyard other than La Cruz in the Petaluma gap. About 20% of the wine is from the Small Vines Estate outside of Sebastopol. Adding this wine gives the blend a little more backbone and “cut,” which compliments the plushness of the La Cruz nicely.

I have made a few other adjustments to my Chardonnay winemaking over the last few years: more stirring of the barrels during the early part of aging. More solids in the juice that goes to barrel for fermentation. A bit of skin contact prior to pressing. All these things are meant to capture more of what is indigenous to the grape and the vineyard. As usual, no added yeast or bacteria or other additives are used. Trying to be as “low tech” as I can.

2014 was a very good year for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Sonoma Coast. I especially like the combination of generosity and energy that the wines have. The Chardonnay is racy, shows only a hint of oak, has lovely, pure aromatics. Smells like the grape, not what was done to it. I bottled it in June of 2015 and it’s just begun coming out of its shell. Should be an excellent partner to all manner of “white wine” fare, and pretty good on its own too.