Platt Vineyard
California does not have a formal system for ranking vineyards. If it did, there is no question Platt would be a Grand Cru. The vineyard was developed by Lew Platt, the former CEO and Chairman of Hewlett-Packard, and his wife, Joan, in the early 2000s in what is now the West Sonoma Coast, right next to Steve Kistler’s Occidental property. Sadly, Lew Platt passed away in 2005 and never got to see his vision for a top vineyard fully realized. It did not take long for Sonoma’s leading producers to grasp the potential of this site. Ted Lemon at Littorai, Eric Sussman at Radio-Coteau, Ehren Jordan at Failla, David Ramey and Fred Scherrer are among the winemakers who built the early reputation of Platt Vineyard through their stellar wines. A group of local investors subsequently purchased the property from Joan Platt and managed it for several years.
France’s AXA Millésimes purchased Platt Vineyard in 2022. Christian Seely, AXA Millésimes’ Managing Director, told me he first learned of Platt in a video that I did with winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown during the Vinous Live series of interviews we hosted during the pandemic. One of the challenges with Platt is that yields are often punishingly low. That means the only way to make the math work is to manage the vineyard as a proper estate, which is what AXA has done.
These first releases, from the late-ripening 2023 vintage, are nothing short of sensational. Winemaker Derek Flegal has done a tremendous job maximizing the potential of this great site. Of course, Flegal and the team benefit from the insights of consulting winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown, who has a great deal of experience working with Platt fruit for his own wines. All the fruit was picked from October 4 through 26. Yields for Chardonnay were three tons per acre, but only one ton per acre for Pinot Noir. That is not unusual here. The Pinots were done with fully destemmed grapes. All the 2023s saw 14 months in barrel.
I have said it before, but I will say it again. Although the reputation of the West Sonoma Coast has mostly been built on Pinot Noir, I strongly believe many of these sites will ultimately prove to be even better for Chardonnay. Platt may very well be one of those sites.
From Updated - Sonoma and Neighbors 2022 & 2023: Opposites Attract (Jan 2025) by Antonio Galloni
2023 Chardonnay (West Sonoma Coast)
Color: White
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2023 Chardonnay Estate Reserve
Color: White
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2023 Pinot Noir (West Sonoma Coast)
Color: Red
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2023 Pinot Noir Estate Reserve
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