2015 Chardonnay Gravel Bench Vineyard

These new releases from Stonestreet are certainly solid, but they are also a bit less exciting than in the past. Specifically, the various Chardonnay bottlings aren't as differentiated as they usually are. In the Cabernets, my impression is that the desire to domesticate tannins may have been pushed too far. These are mountain wines, after all. And last time I checked, tannin is not a four letter word. Winemaker Lisa Valtenbergs adds that 2014 is the first year in which the cumulative effects of the drought started to be seen. Perhaps that explains some of the lightness in structure in the Cabernets, or it may be that the wines were filtered too heavily. Either way, the Cabernets are less rich and intense than they usually are.