Subject to Change Coastview Chardonnay 2017

This 100% Chardonnay comes from Coastview Vineyard in the Gabilan Mountains of Monterey County, farmed by father-son team John and Parker Allen at 2,400 feet elevation. The thin topsoil overlies decomposed granite and limestone, and the vineyard is farmed organically using a herd of sheep in place of mowers and herbicides. Only 294 cases were produced.

Winemaker Alex Pomerantz whole-cluster pressed the fruit, let the juice brown in the press pan, then settled it in tank for a few days before transferring to neutral barrels for five months of native-yeast fermentation and aging. The wine then moved to stainless steel for another five months to tighten up before bottling unfined, unfiltered, and with zero sulfur added.

At 12.5% ABV, this is a leaner, more angular style of California Chardonnay. The elevation and limestone soils drive a pronounced mineral salinity and bright acidity that runs through the wine from start to finish. Tropical fruit registers early and then recedes, giving way to orchard fruit and a persistent stony, salty core — a profile that calls to mind the oxidative, mineral whites of the Jura more than anything from the Napa Valley.