🏷️ Lot Overview
Region: Sonoma Coast (Petaluma Gap, RRV, Green Valley)
Vintage: 2024
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Chat GPT Original Source Guess: Failla Wines (Alt: Ramey Wine Cellars)
Wine Berserkers Guess: Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast
Alcohol: 13.5%
Oak Aging: 100% barrel-fermented, ~40% new French oak
Cam Price: $129/case ($10.75/bottle)
Retail Estimate: $60–$70
Drink Window: 2025–2032 (peak 2026–2029)
🍷 Cameron’s Release Notes
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I was originally planning on sending this next week but, after sitting in the backyard enjoying this beautiful wine, decided, what the heck, let’s send it today!
Lot 30 2024 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is sourced from one of Sonoma County’s finest “Burgundian” Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers, with a colossal array of single-vineyard designated bottlings as well as $40–$50 Sonoma Coast “workhorse” bottlings. The blend is 60% base Sonoma Coast Chardonnay (Petaluma Gap + RRV) with 25% RRV vineyard designate fruit and 15% Green Valley fruit from their $60–70 single-vineyard lineup.
All fruit was whole-cluster pressed, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and raised in 40% new French oak — classic, world-class winemaking.
ONLY 200 CASES AVAILABLE!
Tasting Notes
California sunshine conspires with Burgundian minerality in this zesty, vibrant, broadly appealing Chardonnay. The bouquet opens with citrus, honeysuckle, lemon curd, beeswax/honeycomb, crème brûlée, and a kiss of toasty oak. With air, layers of stone fruit — white peach, nectarine — emerge alongside graham cracker and toasted vanilla. Juicy and zesty on the palate, finishing long with apple skin, grilled lemon, and scintillating verbena notes.
55% Petaluma Gap, 35% Russian River Valley, 15% Green Valley (RRV)
100% barrel-fermented, ~40% new French oak
13.5% alc.
~200 cases (bottling August 25, 2025)
🧠ChatGPT says:
🔍 Source Guess: Failla Wines (Alt: Ramey Wine Cellars)
🎯 Rationale:
- Dual Strengths: Failla produces both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at a very high level, which explains Cam tying Lot 30 (Chard) and Lot 18 (Pinot) to the same source. Ramey is better known for Chardonnay but less so for Pinot, making Failla the cleaner fit across both lots.
- House Style: Failla emphasizes precision, minerality, and Burgundian restraint — language echoed in Cam’s tasting notes (“chalky,” “Burgundian,” “vibrant energy”).
- Price Tier: Their appellation-level wines sit at $40–50, vineyard designates $60–70+, matching exactly the blend composition Cam describes.
- Oak Program: 40% new French oak is very much in line with Failla’s Chardonnay élevage.
- New Ownership Clue: Failla has been restructuring production and ownership in recent years, which could explain bulk sales of 2023–24 lots.
🧠Alternative Consideration:
Ramey Wine Cellars — A long-standing Chardonnay benchmark with a Burgundian style. While their Pinot program is smaller, they do make Sonoma Coast Pinot, keeping them in the running.
⏳ Drink Window
Early Enjoyment: Fall 2025 onward, after bottle shock. Already vibrant, with lemon curd, peach, and minerality.
Peak Drinking: 2026–2029, when oak integration and secondary flavors (hazelnut, honeycomb) join the fruit.
Hold Potential: 7–9 years (to ~2033) with tertiary notes emerging by 2030+
My Call: ⏳ 2025–2032 (peak 2026–2029)
⏳ Drink window (post-bottle shock): 2025–2032 (peak 2026–2029)
🧑‍🤝‍🧑🍷 Wine Berserkers Guess: Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast –
Cam’s Custom Blend, 2/3rds entry, 1/3 SVD