“Beautiful energy and drive.” - JancisRobinson.com, 19 points (one of the highest-ever scores for a US Chardonnay, matched only by Kistler and Ceritas)

A stirring, electric, single-vineyard Chardonnay from one of the great sites in California, the ‘Trout Gulch’ vineyard, planted in 1980 by Bernard Turgeon, located in the cool Santa Cruz Mountains. It’s a ‘marginal’ site, meaning that the grapes only just reach phenolic ripeness in a normal year, but, as you my know, grapes give their best expression in wine wherever they struggle to ripen, whether that’s Pinot Noir in Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux or Riesling in the Mosel Valley and the tension in this wine isn’t just acidity, it’s the echo of the fruit’s white-knuckle ride towards maturity. Harvest at Trout Gulch often stretches until mid-October and this long, slow growing season results in wines that are high in natural acidity, strong minerality, and have notable salinity on the palate. Organic. 13% alc. Drink now-2040.

Press review:

JancisRobinson.com: “After the 19th-century shoutout from Frona Eunice Wait, I was on the lookout for a Chablis-like Chardonnay from the region. This one’s it. Initial scents of fruit, pineapple and apple are delivered dryly, like a kind of essence without the juice. Initial flavours are supple and lively, with beautiful energy and drive from stirring acidity; for all its initial energy, it has a comfortable middle-palate weight that pauses the trajectory before finishing with energy and lift. Drink now-2040.” 19 points