2024 Joyce Vineyard Chardonnay, West Sonoma Coast
The 2024 Joyce Vineyard Chardonnay bursts with energy and momentum. Framed by a scintillating saltiness, its flavors open to reveal distinct impressions of Meyer lemon, wildflower honey and Gravenstein apple. It is a harmonious ballet between mouthwatering minerality and enormous depth and amplitude with a pitch perfect whiff of reduction.
The Joyce Vineyard sits within the West Sonoma Coast AVA a mere 450 ft above the Freestone Valley’s southernmost district with direct, unobstructed exposure to the fog and cold breeze blowing off Bodega Bay. It is certainly one of the coldest, most extreme Chardonnay sites in the AVA, as its resulting wines exclaim.
Our history with the Joyce Vineyard extends back to 2012, when it was 100% Pinot Noir. After that vintage yielded less than a barrel of wine, we decided to graft it to Chardonnay entirely. The next five vintages serve as the foundation of our Sparkling Chardonnay’s perpetual cuvee. In 2017, as we were planting a new estate Chardonnay site with limited funds, we passed this beloved vineyard on to our close friends at Ernest Vineyards. They have farmed it organically and with great care ever since.
This vintage marks another evolution. It is a collaboration between us and the growers. One they started and we completed. The result is an extraordinary wine of heritage, refinement and friendship. Don’t miss it.
Vineyard:
Year Planted: 2026
Vine Spacing: 8’ x 5’
Soil: Goldridge Sandstone
Clones: 5
Elevation: 400-500 ft
Farming: Organic
Wine:
Appellation: West Sonoma Coast
Alcohol: 12.5%
Stems: 15%
French Oak: 20% New
Yeast: Wild
Cases: 30