Spring 2009 Release

• 2006 Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay Carneros
• 2006 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay Carneros
• 2006 Vine Hill Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River Valley
• 2006 Kistler Vineyard Chardonnay Sonoma Valley
• 2006 Kistler Vineyard Cuvée Cathleen Chardonnay Sonoma Valley
• 2006 Silver Belt Cuvée Natalie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
• 2006 Occidental Station Cuvée Catherine Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
• 2006 Bodega Headlands Cuvée Elizabeth Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

We are proud to announce our Spring 2009 Release which features the 2006 chardonnays and the 2006 cuvée pinot noirs listed above.

In 2006 moderate growing conditions enabled our chardonnay to attain “true ripeness” at lower sugars than normal and at a more deliberate pace. The excellent wines produced share a common style; mineral and soil characters predominate framed by firm acid structures in contrast to the fatter, rounder, fruit-driven New World chardonnay often produced in the warmer vintages. The 2006 chardonnays accurately reflect the uniqueness of their sites and vintage, and emphatically deserve their stand alone status as vineyard-designated wines. It is interesting to remember that our nine chardonnay vineyards share the same clonal material, i.e. a “mass selection” sourced from a hill in Corton; and therefore the distinct character of these nine wines can be attributed mostly to site, and the role played by their varied soils and microclimates. From the beginning, we have believed that the long term interest of the consumer can best be sustained if our wines properly reflect their place of origin and are not “blends” of vineyards designed by the current whim of a winemaker.

Here are my brief tasting notes on the chardonnays:

2006 Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay    $75 per bottle

Green-tinged pale yellow. Pure, highly aromatic nose features stone fruits complicated by iodine, marzipan, and smoky soil tones.  Extremely rich and concentrated, with a firm acid spine and solid minerality giving shape and energy to these complex flavors. Delicious.

2006 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay    $75 per bottle

Green-tinged pale yellow.  Pungent Burgundian nose featuring complex sulfides and nut oils. A tightly wound wine that coats the mouth with dusty stone and mineral flavors. Finishes with outstanding power and persistence. Delicious.

2006 Vine Hill Vineyard Chardonnay    $75 per bottle

Green-tinged pale yellow. Perfumed, minerally aromas of flint, chalk and crushed rock. A tightly wound, precise, and penetrating wine. It is both broad and gripping, with strong mineral and wet stone elements which contribute to the impression of texture and power. Wonderfully perfumed and aromatic in the mouth, and quite light on its feet despite its obvious density of material. Delicious

2006 Kistler Vineyard Chardonnay    $80 per bottle

Deeply pitched aromas of white peach, spring flowers, and powdered stone. Dry-farmed on rocky east-facing slopes high in the Mayacamas Mountains – it is the essence of hillside chardonnay from a world-class site. Remarkably layered and large-scaled for such a firmly structured and focused wine. Densely packed and bright with a compelling sweetness of fruit supported by a powerful stony underpinning. Delicious.

2006 Cuvée Cathleen Chardonnay    $90 per bottle

Green-tinged, pale yellow.  Intense aromas of stone fruits, lime blossom, and minerals. Tightly wound and precise with subtle but endlessly complex flavors of flowers, hazelnut, and soil. Finishes fresh and long, with faint suggestions of lees and powdered stone. Combines power and finesse. Delicious.

In our previous letter we attempted to highlight how successful our 2006 pinot noir harvest was, especially for our three cuvée pinot noirs. These wines combine an intriguing floral and mineral character, and are more vibrant and precise than previous wines from riper vintages. Similar to the best 2005 red burgundies, our 2006 cuvée pinot noirs are delicious now and will age gracefully in bottle. Given the generous allocations, we encourage all members to decant and enjoy a bottle or two of these cuvées soon after their release and see if you don’t agree with us how compelling these wines are in their youth.

Our newest cuvée is Cuvée Natalie from our Silver Belt Vineyard located on a ridge of red shale east of Occidental. Planted with nearly equal amounts of our 2 favorite clones of pinot, Swan and Calera, it is a worthy companion to Catherine and Elizabeth and will enhance our portfolio of compelling pinot from western Sonoma.

Here are my brief tasting notes on our three cuvée pinot noirs:

2006 Silver Belt Vineyard Cuvée Natalie    $90 per bottle

Complex aromas of wild dark berries, rose petal, and an underlying minerality. Precise and highly perfumed with the wild fruits and flowers giving the wine great energy and delicacy–followed by a strong impression of soil. Finishes wonderfully long and scented, with fine grained tannins and superb lift. Delicious.

2006 Occidental Station Cuvée Catherine    $90 per bottle

Penetrating purple fruit character featuring cassis, violet, iron and minerals. Pure, precise, and concentrated, with uncommon density and strength of blackberry and floral flavor. A taut and sharply focused wine, finishing with palate-staining minerally persistence and great finesse. Delicious.

2006 Bodega Headlands Cuvée Elizabeth    $90 per bottle

A compelling soil inflected wine, at once discreet and a bit wild which combines intriguing floral and earth tones. Tightly wound and expressive in the mouth with explosive black raspberry and mineral flavors. Finishes with superb length and a lingering, haunting perfume. Delicious now.

The 2008 vintage is safely tucked away for the winter. Native yeasts were used on all lots of chardonnay and pinot noir. Fermentations were uneventful and malolactics are now proceeding in an orderly way; all the young wines show much promise and are distinct and true to their site.  Our Bodega Headlands Vineyard produced its best crop of pinot noir to date, so there will almost certainly be 4000 cases of 2008 cuvée pinot noir to look forward to, including 2000 cases of Cuvée Elizabeth.

In November we completed the purchase of the property next door to our Bodega Headlands Vineyard on this special “first ridge” just in from the Bodega coastline. It offers the potential for several more Cuvée Elizabeth style pinot noir bottlings in the near future. Planting will begin in 2010.

After 30 years of making wine, it is the pursuit of these world-class sites along the coast which push the boundary of where pinot noir and chardonnay can be successfully grown which provides us the most satisfaction and drives us to raise our game to an even higher level.

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