Our most nimble and elegant Chardonnay, 1 KM West allows us to feature vineyard parcels that emphasize the less bombastic nature of the grape. Not to be confused with the aggressively steely new Chablis style in vogue with some, this iteration successfully strives for supreme balance between fruit, acid, and oak.

2017 afforded us mature fruit at rather lower levels of alcohol which we fermented in our favorite puncheons with both native and inoculated yeast. We love these custom-built, oversized barrels for their subtler flavor impact as they match perfectly with Sonoma Coast fruit. They sure are a pain to move around the cellar but the gentle impact on the final wine makes it all worthwhile. With some judicious lees stirring during secondary fermentation we were able to enhance texture and harmonize a refined toastiness.

We think you’ll find this rendition a very flexible Chardonnay. Lovely on its own but also quite versatile with a variety of foods. As a cellar candidate, we expect it to follow the path of previous vintages: broadening on the palate as the fruit deepens with hazelnut and roasted apple/pear flavors revealing themselves all the more over time.