100% Chardonnay

Food pairings: Pan-seared halibut with lemon beurre blanc, roast chicken with a tarragon cream sauce, crab cakes, pasta in a cream sauce and soft cheeses; it is also delicious on its own.

Winemaking: Each vineyard lot is fermented separately with native yeasts in French oak barrels, almost all of them neutral, so the oak adds length without taking over. A natural malolactic fermentation is allowed to start and is stopped about 70% of the way through, keeping more freshness, brightness and zing. The wine then rests in barrel on its gross lees without racking until bottling, which builds texture, vibrancy and tension. RouteStock's approach is one of minimal intervention, with native yeasts, natural malolactic fermentation and no chemical additives.

Vineyards and terroir: The 2024 is RouteStock's fourth vintage of Sonoma Coast Chardonnay from the same three vineyards. The heart of the blend is the estate Moon Dust Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills, in the southwest of the Sonoma Coast, with mature Chardonnay vines of clones 95 and 17 (Robert Young) on Goldridge sandy loam and clay. Two dedicated growers complete it, one in the cool, windswept Petaluma Gap in the southeast of the appellation and one just 1.5 miles from the Pacific in the far northwest. 2024 was the third wet winter and spring in a row; vigorous vines needed careful shoot thinning, and harvest began in mid-September with exceptionally healthy clusters.

Family and history: RouteStock is a project of Wilson Daniels, the long-established Napa-based importer, and is an invitation to discover the deep roots of winemaking in Napa and Sonoma, from the famous routes that wind between the vineyards to the roots that produce their world-renowned grapes. The wines come from Napa Valley for Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc and from the Sonoma Coast for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and aim to over-deliver in quality for the price. Winemaker Vance Rose has nearly 40 years in the wine business, with winemaking experience in California, France, Spain and Australia; his passion began when he tasted a great 1959 red Burgundy at 18.

In the pictures: Vineyards among the redwoods near Sebastopol, in the western Sonoma County hills where RouteStock's estate Chardonnay grows (photo: Sarah Stierch, 2023, CC BY 4.0).