Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Gust Chardonnay grapes were sourced from two vineyards in the Petaluma Gap. The majority of fruit came from Gust's Catapult vineyard, south of Stage Gulch Road, in the rolling hills at the base of Wildcat Mountain. Clone 352 is planted here and they have less stressed vines, so larger yields in a slightly less exposed position leading to similar harvest dates for each block in late September, unusually early compared to most growing seasons. The rest comes from Diamond Pile Ranch, on Old Adobe Road on the Easternmost boundary of the Petaluma Gap, directly East of Petaluma. The vineyard was planted in 2001 and the block this fruit came from is from the steepest part of vineyard and planted clone 76 on rootstock 5BB. Heavy clays dominate this area and the vines are naturally stressed, yielding a low crop of concentrated fruit with thick skins and a long ripening season. 2021 was a drought year, with an early bud break, medium to low yield and consistent sunshine throughout the year leading to an earlier than usual harvest.
Professional Ratings
-
Tasting Panel
Lemon bar and chamomile are wrapped in smoky cedar. Rich, with good acid structure and a lengthy caramel 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.