2015 Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast)

Jamie Kutch describes 2016 as a pretty uneventful vintage with generous yields and none of the shocks of 2015. All of the 2016s were done with 100% whole clusters and aged entirely in neutral oak, with the exception of the Chardonnay, which saw about 20% new wood. One of the departures in 2016 is the appellation Pinot which is a blend of the four sites that are vineyard designated and no longer relies on fruit from other sources (Campbell Ranch and Sonoma Stage in the past). Kutch bottled the 2016 Pinots in July 2017, which is on the early side, but the malos were also done quickly that year. The 2015 Pinots, which were bottled in late January/early February 2017, were even better than they were when I tasted them from tank. To be sure, the 2015s show an unreal level of concentration that is the result of an accumulation of four years of drought and yields that were off by a whopping 60%.

(Originally published in Sonoma Preview: January 2018 New Releases)

Jamie Kutch's 2015s are dark, powerful and quite intense. Kutch told me his main concern was avoiding overextraction. As a result vinifications were on the gentle side, with no cold soaks, lower temperatures in fermentation, fewer punchdowns and gentle press cycles. The wines are quite rich, even though Kutch opted for 100% whole clusters on all the Pinots. I tasted the 2015s just prior to bottling, which is always a delicate time, as wines can be a bit misleading, especially if sulfur levels are low. It will be interesting to see where the finished wines end up.