# Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (2024)

- **Producer:** Kutch Wines
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chardonnay
- **Region:** California, United States
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €44
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apple, pear, quince, lemon, herbaceous, butter, toast, honey

## About this wine

Kutch Wines was founded in 2005 by Jamie Kutch, who departed a career as a Nasdaq stockbroker in New York to pursue cool-climate winemaking in California. The estate has earned wide acclaim for its low-intervention approach and focus on coastal terroir. The fruit for this bottling is sourced primarily from old vines planted in 1972 at the historic Bohan Vineyard. Perched at 1,400 feet elevation on Goldridge sandy loam soils and situated just three miles from the Pacific Ocean, the vineyard benefits from intense ocean breezes and coastal fog.

## Interesting facts

- Founder Jamie Kutch gave up a Wall Street career as a Nasdaq stockbroker in 2005 to make cool-climate wines.
- The grapes originate from dry-farmed, own-rooted vines planted in 1972, located only three miles from the Pacific Ocean.
- The wine undergoes 100% whole-cluster pressing and ferments entirely with indigenous wild yeasts.

## Food pairing

The medium body, crisp high acidity, and subtle ocean-influenced mineral edge make this Chardonnay an exceptional companion for rich seafood and poultry. The wine's vibrant acidity cuts through buttery sauces and rich fats while remaining refined enough for delicate shellfish.

## Wine making process

Harvested by hand, the grapes undergo 100% whole-bunch pressing. Fermentation occurs spontaneously using wild indigenous yeasts without ambient temperature manipulation. The wine completes natural malolactic fermentation and is matured in neutral French oak barrels. Minimal effective sulfur dioxide is added prior to bottling, and gravity movement is utilized throughout production to preserve delicacy and vineyard expression.