2022 Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast)

Matt Courtney’s 2022s are brilliant wines that vividly illustrate how compelling the vintage is in some places, as well as the danger of assuming that the significant challenges Napa Valley faced in 2022 apply to Northern California as a whole. In my view, some of the 2022s—especially the Chardonnays—are the very finest wines I have tasted from Ferren. As always, the wines are fermented with spontaneous yeasts and natural bacteria for the malolactic fermentation. The Chardonnays spend 12 months in oak and six in steel, while the Pinots see the full 18 months of élevage in oak. One of the biggest changes at Ferren in recent years has been the introduction of whole clusters in the Pinots. Stem inclusion ranges from 10% for the appellation wine to 50-60% for the vineyard designates, a significant departure from the early days when the wines were made from virtually all destemmed fruit. Stems have introduced a slightly wild character to some of the Pinots. If enjoyed young, these wines all demand considerable aeration.