Lot Overview
- Region: West Sonoma Coast (Mariola Ridge Vineyard)
- Vintage: 2024
- Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
- Oak Aging: ~50% new light toast French oak, combination of barrels and puncheons
- Alcohol: 12.3%, pH 3.3, TA 7.0 g/L, Lactic 1.9 g/L, Malic >0.1 g/L
- Cases Available: 125
- Cam Price: ~$10.75/bottle ($129/case)
- Retail Estimate: $85/bottle (tasting room)
- Claude’s Source Guess: Ernest Vineyards — Mariola Ridge Vineyard, West Sonoma Coast (confirmed by Cam; same producer as Lot 4)
- Wine Berserkers Guess: Ernest Vineyards
- Drink Window: 2026–2034 (peak 2027–2031)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Lot 85 is the inaugural vintage of a single-vineyard Chardonnay produced from fruit sourced from Mariola Ridge Vineyard. The producer, Ernest Vineyards, wound down their operations earlier this year and we have acquired most of their wines in barrel. Ernest Vineyards was definitely on the leading edge of the uber-cool-climate, Burgundy-inspired style of winemaking that has recently found its home in the foggy ridges of the West Sonoma Coast. Consistent 93–95 point scores from Galloni and Dunnuck. Normally $85/bottle out of the tasting room.
Tasting Notes
Shimmering gold in the glass. Spectacular perfume of lemon oil, nectarine and crushed rock haloed with a beautiful combination of white and purple flowers and toasted brioche. As the bouquet opens, pretty pineapple and pristine green apple notes join the fray. Green apple, honeydew and apricot are woven through snappy, lemon-crusted, chalky minerality that unfurls a crunchy finish echoing long with zesty pineapple and apricot notes and a toasty brioche halo. Mouthwateringly gorgeous and refreshing.
⏳ Bottle Shock Status: Allow until late 2026 minimum — 12.3% alc and cool-climate structure need integration time post-bottling.
Claude’s Source Guess: Ernest Vineyards — Mariola Ridge Vineyard, West Sonoma Coast (confirmed; same producer as Lot 4)
Cam names Ernest Vineyards directly — no identification needed. Ernest Vineyards was a West Sonoma Coast producer on the leading edge of the ultra-cool-climate, Burgundy-inspired movement pioneered in the foggy coastal ridges above Freestone and Occidental. Their wines earned consistent 93–95 points from Galloni and Dunnuck and retailed at $85 from the tasting room. The winery wound down operations in 2025/2026, and Cam acquired most of their remaining barrel inventory.
This is also a meaningful full-circle moment in the CAM X catalog — Ernest Vineyards was the identified source for Lot 4 (2023 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, Freestone Ridge Vineyard, inaugural vintage). At the time of Lot 4, Ernest was winding down their program and “trimming sails on the inaugural bottling” — a detail that now makes complete sense given their subsequent closure. Cam’s relationship with Ernest clearly continued beyond that first transaction, ultimately resulting in the acquisition of their remaining barrel stock including this Mariola Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay.
The chemistry is extraordinary for a California Chardonnay — 12.3% alc, 7.0 g/L TA, 3.3 pH. This is essentially Chablis-level acidity, consistent with West Sonoma Coast’s extreme cool-climate character at coastal ridge elevations.
✅ Confidence: Confirmed — producer named directly by Cam.
Drink Window
Early: Late 2026 — the extreme acidity and cool-climate structure need time to integrate post-bottling.
Peak: 2027–2031. West Sonoma Coast Chardonnay at 12.3% alc and 7.0 g/L TA has a genuine Burgundian aging arc.
Hold: 2034. The chemistry supports a decade of graceful aging.
My Call: ⏳ Drink window: Late 2026–2034 (peak 2027–2031)