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Tasting Notes
This single-vineyard bottling from the 2007 vintage offers restrained minerality and aromas of poached pears and nectarines. The 2007 Stone Côte has great balance with white peach and nutmeg flavors that complement its silky texture and long finish of minerals and graphite.

Acclaim
95 Points - "The 2007 Chardonnay Stone Cote is a limited cuvee of 740 cases that comes from a specific block in the Sonoma Coast’s Durell Vineyard. White peach, honeysuckle, unbuttered popcorn, and hints of tropical fruit and wet stone-like aromas and flavors are present in this full-bodied white. Good intensity, uplifting acidity, and excellent minerality suggest this stunning Chardonnay should drink well for 4-6 years." - Robert M. Parker Jr., Wine Advocate, 12/08

Historical Acclaim
2006 Vintage: 96 Points, The Wine Advocate
2005 Vintage: 93 Points, The Wine Advocate
2004 Vintage: 91 Points, Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine
2003 Vintage: 94 Points, The Wine Advocate
2002 Vintage: 90 Points, International Wine Cellar
2002 Vintage: 93 Points, The Wine Advocate
2001 Vintage: 93 Points, The Wine Advocate
2000 Vintage: ‘Editor’s Choice’, 90 Points, The Wine Enthusiast
2000 Vintage: 91 Points, The Wine Advocate

Vineyard Character
The Stone Côte Vineyard is a small vineyard block within the well-known Durell vineyard, which sits upon an ancient riverbed at the base of Sonoma Mountain in the cool Sonoma Coast AVA. For centuries this ancient river cut a path into volcanic and sedimentary rock on its way to the Pacific Ocean. The vineyard’s topography has been shaped by that flow. Tumbled and water-worn cobblestones now litter the landscape and very little topsoil remains. The nutritionally challenged soils push the vines to search deeply for nutrients and water, forcing the vineyard to work hard to ripen its fruit. The stressed vines, in turn yield very small clusters with intense varietal flavors.

Climatically this vineyard site is characterized by cool daytime temperatures, high winds and cold ocean breezes. The low-fertility soils and the cool temperatures unite to form an ideal site for growing Chardonnay. The wine’s flinty aromas and mineral-laden finish are a reflection of this vineyard’s terroir.

Wine Details
Oak: 100% French oak, 60% new
Time in oak: 11 months
Alcohol: 14.3%
TA: 5.3g/L
pH: 3.84
Yeasts: Native
Cases: 740
No fining or filtration
Wine Information Sheet PDF