2020 Devil's Gulch Vineyard Chardonnay

When Mark Pasternak planted his original vineyard block on his home site in Nicasio in the early 1980s, he put in half Chardonnay and half Pinot Noir. Dan made some still wine from the grapes in the early 1990s, but when it became apparent that the grapes would be well suited made into bubbly, he hooked Mark up with one of his favorite sparkling houses to take the crop. Fast forward to 2015, and we find ourselves fortunate to be able to get the fruit for Dutton-Goldfield. Located just above the newer terraces of Pinot Noir plantings on Mark’s steep, convoluted hillside in Western Marin County, the Chardonnay enjoys the same harsh climate of the Marin coast, with slightly protected exposures. The blustery spring weather of Marin gives us poor set and an extremely small crop of tiny berries, while the reliable late fall weather promotes great phenolic maturity and wild fruit intensity in the wine. For us, wine is all about personality, and Devil’s Gulch is one of our favorite examples of that.