2018 Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, WestLands

93 Pts - Wine Enthusiast

Our leanest Chardonnay to date, the WestLands Chardonnay is the most Chablis-like in style. This wine is linear and racy, holding good acidity. White floral notes, Asian pear, and sandalwood on the nose. Crisp apple, chamomile, and graphite on the palate. This wine finishes bright and savory, ideal for pairing with oysters, sushi, or after a hot afternoon in a cool Alpine lake.

Winemaker’s Notes

The 2018 vintage started cooler than most. The heat was moderate throughout the growing seasons with fewer heat spikes than in previous years. The slow and steady ripening leads to Chardonnay with a good backbone, acidity, and balance.

WestLands Chardonnay captures the nuances of the West Sonoma Coast. For this wine, we only source fruit from the cool-climate vineyards that are located west of the city of Sebastopol, no further than 10 miles from the Pacific Ocean.

 

Linear and racy in acidity, this is a steely, elegant white with a rounded midpalate and accents of honeysuckle and lemongrass. Meyer lemon, lime and blood orange combine with balanced oak and tannin, finishing in a touch of baking spice.

Virginie Boone, Wine Enthusiast

Technical Details

Type

White

Varietal

Chardonnay

Region

California

Appellation

Sonoma Coast

Vintage

2018

Vineyard

H. Klopp, Dutton Ranch (Shop Block and Mill Station), J Mck, Scribe

Harvest Date

2018-09-13

Bottling Date

2020-02-27

Aging

Aged 17 months in French Oak, 20% new oak.

Fermentation

100% barrel fermented. Cool fermentation, barrels are kept in a refrigerated space.

Alcohol

12.8%

pH

3.29

TA

6.4 g/L