Wine Review:
2009 Peay Vineyards Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
Sonoma Coast
Though we select the barrels for the Estate Chardonnay first, the Sonoma Coast is not an after-thought, or even a lesser wine. Regional wines – what we refer to here as AVA wines – are usually composites from grapes grown at many sites within an AVA. That is the case for the Peay Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, too. Over 75% of the blend, however, comes from our Estate Vineyard and is farmed to the same exacting standards. The remaining quarter (just a few tons) comes from the Searby Vineyard in the southern portion of the West Sonoma Coast near Occidental. Searby is one of the most highly sought-after vineyards for vineyard-designate Chardonnay in Sonoma County. As it is a touch warmer in Occidental, that portion of the blend offers a little more richness and silkiness while the structure and fruit profile of the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is very much one of a Peay Estate Chardonnay and has a similar intensity and complexity.
Light yellow. High-pitched aromas of lemon curd, green apple and honeysuckle, with sneaky iodine and spice nuances that gain power with air. Dusty, precise and palate-staining, offering dense citrus and orchard fruit flavors with zero fat. Notes of ginger and agave appear on the finish, which is linear and very persistent. I really like this wine’s focus.