2013 Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast)

Ross Cobb and Katy Wilson are now making the wines at Banshee. This set of new releases is a bit up and down. The appellation wines are absolutely brilliant, delicious wines that also offer consumers fabulous value. I found some of the vineyard designate Pinots too reduced to get a good read on. Reduction is not uncommon in Burgundy, but I wonder how many California Pinot drinkers are ready to encounter this level of reduction in wines. My guess is not too many. Of course, reduction can blow off with air (although I did not see that here) and it can also dissipate as wines age in bottle. If the affected Pinots do come together, they will merit much more glowing reviews, as the underlying material is quite strong across the board. As much as I admire Cobb and Wilson's desire to leave the wines untouched in the cellar, in this case a little aeration during aging might have been highly beneficial for some of these wines.