2011 Chardonnay Freestone Vineyards

One again, I was deeply impressed with the Sonoma Coast wines I tasted from Joseph Phelps. The vineyards are divided into two major sections; Pastorale is planted to both Pinot and Chardonnay, while Quarter Moon is exclusively planted to Pinot. The wines labeled 'Freestone Vineyards' are the entry-level and are made from numerous parcels, while the Pastorale Chardonnay, Pastorale Pinot and Quarter Moon Pinot are made from a limited number of plots within those sites. In general, the wines spend about 13 months in oak. The Pinots are made with some whole clusters, which gives them lift, but the wines mostly impress for their overall balance. Each year, these wines are more and more intriguing. The 2012s are all gorgeous, while the 2011s all confirm my impressions from last year. Yields are much bigger in 2012, though, which will make the wines far easier to find.

Director of winemaker Damian Parker described 2011 and 2010 as "two small, tough vintages" for the winery's Napa Valley reds, "2010 with more fruit and 2011 more elegant but closed today."The team here also finds similarities between 2010 and 2009, although Parker says the former vintage is more sappy, while the '09s are more serious.As for the Phelps family's Freestone venture in the Sonoma Coast appellation, which was brought under the official Joseph Phelps umbrella as of the release of vintage 2009, Parker says 2011 was better than 2010:"We had less botrytis in 2011, and at least during the early part of the harvest the fruit was very healthy.The 2010 chardonnays are very fruit-forward, while the 2011s are more citrussy and minerally."