2017 Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast)

It's hard to believe Jamie Kutch is gearing up for his fifteenth harvest. I still remember when Kutch was leaving his finance job in New York to pursue his dream of making world-class Pinot Noir in Sonoma. Time really does fly. This is a stellar set of wines that shows just how compelling 2017 is for Sonoma's Burgundian varieties. Over the last few years Kutch has begun to deleaf a little more in order to achieve more ripeness in the field. If that sounds surprising, it shouldn't be. The reality is that many young producers once associated with the 'IPOB' movement have gradually and quietly moved away from the extremes of the past towards an idea of ripeness that lies closer to the center, which, after all, is where balance - admittedly a tenuous concept - is most likely to be found.