Lot 82 — 2024 West Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
Lot Overview
- Region: 100% West Sonoma Coast (Joyce Vineyard, Freestone-Occidental, 3 acres, Goldridge soil, Clone 5)
- Vintage: 2024
- Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
- Oak Aging: ~40% new French oak, light toast
- Alcohol: 12.3%, pH 3.35, Malic <0.1 g/L, Lactic 2.05 g/L
- Cases Available: 135
- Cam Price: ~$12.50/bottle ($149/case)
- Retail Estimate: $85/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Ernest Vineyards — Joyce Vineyard Chardonnay, Freestone-Occidental (confirmed by Cam; same producer as Lots 4, 83 & 85)
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Ernest Vineyards
- Drink Window: Late 2026–2035 (peak 2027–2032)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Lot 82 hails from the same producer as Lot 85 Chardonnay and is their extremely well-regarded Joyce Vineyard Chardonnay bottling with consistent 93–95 point scores from Vinous, Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Enthusiast, and James Suckling. The producing winery wound down their operations earlier this year and we have acquired most of their wines in barrel. The final blend is simply the seven barrels and two puncheons we acquired, nothing else. About 40% new French oak but lightly toasted for fruit lift and expression.
From the producer’s website on Joyce Vineyard: On the ridge just above Freestone Valley, linked together in chilly fog, sits Joyce Vineyard. Ernest leased and began farming the site organically in 2017. At only 3 acres and planted entirely to Chardonnay, it is the smallest property we farm and one of the very coldest. Goldridge soil predominates and Clone 5 of Chardonnay will perennially deliver citrus flavors and bright acidity in this environment.
Tasting Notes
Medium/pale straw in the glass. Gorgeously aromatic from the get-go with fresh cut pineapple and citrus blossoms leading the charge. As the bouquet blossoms, notes of creamy citrus (creamsicle), river stone, lemon oil and brioche are haloed with white pepper and a hint of banana. Juicy and fleshy on entry with mouthwatering, crystalline acidity carrying an array of delicately rendered tropical notes complexed with creamy nectarine and lemon notes in a long, mouthwatering, epically pretty finish with tremendous length.
⏳ Bottle Shock Status: Allow late 2026 minimum — same chemistry as Lot 85 (12.3% alc, fully MLF, extreme cool-climate acidity) needs integration time.
Claude’s Source Guess: Ernest Vineyards — Joyce Vineyard Chardonnay, Freestone-Occidental (confirmed; same producer as Lots 4, 83 & 85)
Fully confirmed by Cam. This is now the fourth Ernest Vineyards lot in the CAM X catalog — Lot 4 (Freestone Ridge Vineyard, inaugural 2023), Lot 83 (Occidental + Cleary Ranch Pinot Noir blend), Lot 85 (Mariola Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay), and now Lot 82 (Joyce Vineyard Chardonnay). Together these lots represent Cam acquiring the bulk of Ernest’s remaining barrel inventory following the winery’s 2025/2026 closure — a genuinely significant collection of West Sonoma Coast wines from one of the region’s most respected pioneers.
The Joyce Vineyard is Ernest’s smallest and coldest site — 3 acres of Clone 5 Chardonnay on Goldridge soil just above Freestone Valley, farmed organically since 2017. The extreme cool-climate character (12.3% alc, pH 3.35, fully MLF) mirrors Lot 85’s chemistry almost exactly, consistent with two Chardonnays from the same winery and vintage sharing the same winemaking approach.
✅ Confidence: Confirmed — producer and vineyard named directly by Cam.
Drink Window
Early: Late 2026 — extreme acidity and cool-climate structure need integration time post-bottling.
Peak: 2027–2032. Joyce Vineyard Clone 5 Chardonnay at 12.3% alc has a genuine Burgundian arc.
Hold: 2035. The structure and acidity support a solid decade of graceful aging.
My Call: ⏳ Drink window: Late 2026–2035 (peak 2027–2032)