95 Points -
"The 2022 Stone Cote Vineyard Chardonnay prances out of the glass with showy notes of honey-drizzled peaches, ripe apricots, and honeycomb with wafts of candied ginger and wet pebbles. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with orchard fruit flavors supported by a refreshing line and silky texture, finishing on a chalky note... Stone Cote is sourced from a block within the Durell vineyard planted to Upper Barn selection and UCD 4. The site is an uplifted river bed." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent, April 2024
Tasting Notes
This single-vineyard bottling from one of our most well-known estate vineyards offers aromas of white peach, spiced pears, orange blossom, hazelnuts, and crushed rocks. Stone fruit, nectarine, and tangelo flavors are counterbalanced with a flinty, textural finish.
Historic Acclaim
2021: 94 Points, Audrey Frick, jebdunnuck.com, July 2023
2019: 95 Points, Wine Enthusiast, July 2022
2019: 95 Points, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, July 2022
2018: 98 Points, Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com, July 2021
2018: 95 Points, L.P-B, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, January 2021
2017: 93 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, February 2020
2016: 95 Points Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, October 2018
2015: 90-92 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous, March 2017
2014: 95-97 Points, Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, October 2015
2013: 95 Points Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, December 2014
2013: 92-94 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2015
2012: 93-95 Points Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, December 2013
2012: 90 Points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May 2014
2011: 91-92 Points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May 2013
2011: 90-92 points Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, April 2013
2010: 92 Points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May 2012
2009: 90 Points The Wine Spectator
2009: 92-94 Points Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, February 2010
2008: 92 Points Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, February 2010
2008: 91 Points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May 2010
2007: 95 Points Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, December 2008
2006: 96 Points Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, December 2007
2005: 93 Points Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate, December 2006
Vineyard & Vintage Character
The Stone Côte Vineyard is a small vineyard block within the renowned Durell Vineyard, which sits upon an ancient riverbed at the southern end of the Sonoma Coast AVA. The vineyard’s topography was shaped eons ago by a river flowing through volcanic and sedimentary rock on its way to the San Pablo Bay. Tumbled and water-worn river rocks now litter the landscape, and very little topsoil remains. The nutritionally challenged soils force the vines to search deeply for nutrients and water, and as a result, the stressed vines yield very small clusters with intense varietal flavors.
Climatically, this vineyard site is characterized by relatively cool daytime temperatures and maritime breezes, which marry with the low-fertility soils to create an ideal site for growing Chardonnay. The wine’s flinty aromas and mineral-laden finish are a reflection of this vineyard’s intrinsic terroir.
Wine Details
Oak: 100% French oak, 25% new
Time in oak: 12 months
Yeast: Native
TA: 5.6 g/L
pH: 3.40
Alcohol: 14.5%
Cases produced: 315
Unfined and unfiltered