Nose
This single-vineyard bottling from one of our most famous estate-owned vineyards offers aromas of orange blossom, spiced pears, hazelnuts and crushed rocks.
Palate
Stone fruit, nectarine and tangelo flavors are counterbalanced with a textural finish, reminiscent of stones and minerals.
Growing Conditions
The Stone Côte Vineyard is a small vineyard block within the well-known Durrell Vineyard, which sits upon an ancient riverbed at the southern end of the Sonoma Coast AVA. The vineyard’s topography has been shaped by the river’s flow through volcanic and sedimentary rock on its way to the San Pablo Bay. Tumbled and water-worn river rocks now litter the landscape, and very little topsoil remains. The nutritionally challenged soils force the vines to search deeply for nutrients and water, and the stressed vines yield small clusters with intense varietal flavors. Climatically, this vineyard site is characterized by relatively cool daytime temperatures and maritime breezes, which marry with the low-fertility soils to create an ideal site for growing Chardonnay. The wine’s flinty aromas and mineral-laden finish are a reflection of this vineyard’s terroir.
Bottling
Unfined and unfiltered
Winemaking
Native yeast
Aging
16 months, 100% French oak, 35% new
