Winemaker Notes
The 2020 Gust Petaluma Gap Chardonnay grapes were sourced from two vineyards in the Petaluma Gap. The majority of fruit came from Gust's Catapult vineyard in the rolling hills at the base of Wildcat Mountain. The rest comes from Diamond Pile Ranch, directly East of Petaluma.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
Aromas of buttercream and peach come through on a delicate wave. Leesy stone fruit gets sweeter as it evolves on the palate, where underlying slate notes are joined by keen acidity. Chamomile and toffee come alive in the glass, matched by the flinty finish.
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 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.