The 2018 offering is a collection of fourteen single-vineyard quality sites that could all be bottled on their own including; Dutton Ranch, Sanchietti Vineyard, Gap’s Crown Vineyard, Zio Tony Ranch and Durell Vineyard. The wine has inviting aromas of spicy pear, lemon drop and lime zest. As a cool-climate Chardonnay, there’s a nice tartness on the palate giving the wine great poise, balance and energy. A pretty floral note adds a layer of complexity and melds with the peach nectar and apple flavors on the long finish.The 2018 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast looks to be terrific, with a juicy, vibrant, medium-bodied style as well as classic lemon, melon, crushed stone, and white flower-like aromas and flavors. It picks up a beautiful salinity and saltiness on the finish and is going to evolve nicely for 3-5 years. Incredibly well-done, it displays classic Sonoma Coast character. Producer Information Patz & Hall is a Sonoma-based wine producer, specializing in the production of small-lot Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from single vineyards around California. The collection is sourced from more than 30 different vineyards in Napa Valley, Carneros, Russian River Valley, Mendocino County, Sonoma Coast and Santa Lucia Highlands. The estate was established in 1988 by James Hall, Anne Moses, and Donald and Heather Patz. Collectively, they established contracts with growers around northern California to create a full portfolio of site specific wines. In the vineyard, grapes are hand-picked to preserve phenolics and prevent excess oxidation. Fermentation takes place in both stainless steel and French oak barrels. Patz & Hall has a unique stave wood program where it dries, seasons, and ages its own Burgundian oak staves for three years before the barrels are coopered, around 18 months longer than normal. The percentage of new oak the winery uses on each wine varies between 50 and 70 percent. In 2016, Patz & Hall was purchased by Chateau Ste. Michelle of which in turn was purchased by Sycamore Partners Managment in 2021. A total of around 20,000 cases of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are produced annually.
