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Bratcher Winery

Chattanooga, Tennessee wine retailer-turned-winemaker Chris Bratcher, who also works with Joe Davis at Arcadian, with whom he shares winemaking facilities and a sales front in Lompoc's wine ghetto. As is the case with Davis, Bratcher is a fan of an extended barrel-aging regimen and of holding wines back for a while before releasing them "to give them a chance to be more themselves" than if they were cut loose immediately after bottling. That said, he's beginning to question the financial wisdom of holding back inventory for too long and he also laments the fact that this relatively quaint but traditional policy makes "people equate a late release with a wine that hasn't sold through, so they perceive it as a closeout, when in reality it's a financial burden on the winery to carry the wine as stock." Bratcher is a fan of vinifying with whole clusters as "they bring a savoriness and spiciness to pinot" that he loves, and he prefers to keep new oak at a low level "or else the wines will taste too similar." Fans of the Arcadian style should take a serious look at this lineup.

From Focus on California's Central Coast (Nov 2013) by Josh Raynolds

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2010 Chardonnay Mary Ellis Sierra Madre Vineyard Santa Maria Valley

Release Price: $30

Color: White

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