2011 Chardonnay Helfer Vineyard

The laconic Fred Scherrer reminded me that he has never had much interest in making wines "that give it all up early" and that he prefers to make and drink "ones that are made for the long run because there's more to think about."For all his down-home veneer, Scherrer and his wines are anything but rustic, and neither is his winemaking.New oak is used judiciously but, he hopes, not in an intrusive fashion, and he's not inclined to leave things to chance.Fred worked with Tom Dehlinger for almost a decade, leaving to open his own winery in 1997, and anybody familiar with the Dehlinger model will find plenty to like here, across varieties.And as is the case at Dehlinger, I'm often surprised to hear how much new oak has been used with a particular wine because I simply don't detect it, even after being told.Scherrer's wines tend to be released at his discretion, "depending on when they're ready, when we're sold out of earlier years, or whatever circumstance dictates at the moment," so there's liable to be a wide range of wines and vintages available here at any given time.

Fred Scherrer is one of the most unassuming winemakers in Sonoma. Working out of a simple, functional building in Sebastopol, Scherrer makes a range of wines from sites in Sonoma and Alexander Valley. These are generally mid-weight wines that spend more time in barrel than is the norm these days, with minimal rackings and a generally non-interventionist approach. Scherrer releases to their mailing list before the wines are put into distribution, sometimes by as much as a few years, so readers may see a wide range of vintages in the market between what is available at the winery and the current releases in shops and restaurants.