2010 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

Like all of the other winemakers I visited this March, Byron Kosuge described 2010 as "a tricky year, with a cold spring that messed with flowering and fruit set, then a warm summer capped by that heat wave at the end of August." He said that some clusters in the most heat-affected areas "were literally cooked on the vine." The upside is that the fruit that didn't suffer "had great natural acidity and full ripeness so there's more energy and perfume than with the '09s, which are more dense and powerful." Readers should also check out the wines made at Chile's Kingston Estate (included in this issue's Chile coverage), where Kosuge is winemaking consultant.