2014 Chardonnay Point Rouge

The 2014 Chardonnays are the highlights in this range from Peter Michael and winemaker Nick Morlet. The Chardonnays are rich and sumptuous - in classic Peter Michael style - yet also retain quite a bit of freshness. Despite their obvious ripeness and raciness, I found the 2014 Pinots much less expressive than the Chardonnays. This is not uncommon for the vintage, especially for the wines of the true Sonoma Coast, many of which continue to unwind at a very slow pace. Certainly the Pinots have been much more giving at a similar stage. Morlet describes 2014 as a drought vintage with very little rain and Indian Summer-like conditions at the end of the season.