Sonoma-Cutrer Les Pierres Chardonnay 2005

Sonoma Valley's "Les Pierres" vineyard is a unique site, comprised of gravelly clay loam soils in an ancient river bed of cobbled stones from the Sonoma Mountain caldera. Set into an east-facing slope, this vineyard is close enough to the San Pablo Bay to fully experience the cooling effects of the fog that rolls off the Bay, cutting a deep swath across Valley Ford toward the Valley of the Moon. The wine made from this vineyard, not often available outside the winery, is treated with the utmost care, what the winery calls their Grand Cru approach. The results are a wine that looks like clear liquid gold and smells of honeycomb, rose petal, lime zest and fresh Granny Smith apple on a flinty frame. Focused mineral flavors on the wine's entry give way to pear, peach and a hint of cream. Subtle hints of honey and lemon appear on the mid-palate and the wine finishes with very elegant and subtle hints of oak, great acidity and lemony minerality that lingers long after the wine is gone. 750ml