Burgundy is my first love, but today’s wine from California’s Sonoma Coast led me astray. And to be honest, this isn’t the first time it has happened. Not all New World Chardonnay is created equal, and it’s modern pioneers like Small Vines’ Paul Sloan who are determined to change our minds—not just about Chardonnay, but about Californian wine in general.
Small Vines is here to prove that tense, elegant, soil-focused Chardonnay most definitely exists here and it’s giving our favorite Burgundies a run for their money. Famous for his “obsessive” vineyard work, Paul has a simple philosophy of winemaking: The more energy, care, and attention that goes into the vineyard, the more minimal your winemaking practices. It’s exactly this kind of forward-thinking viticulture that’s nudging the wine industry into a new, conscientious chapter. This is a return to our roots, a return to farming, a return to precision viticulture and infectious love of the land. Paul and his small-batch wines are leading the charge into the next wave of winemaking, and we couldn’t be more excited to drink his 2014 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. It packs the acidity, elegance, and balance of a Burgundy many times its price, while remaining firmly grounded in its Coastal roots. Best of all, at five years of age this wine has shed its ‘baby fat’ and is reaching full, glorious maturity. This is New World Chardonnay worth its weight in gold.
Small Vines brings new meaning to the term “family-owned.” On any given day Paul, his wife, Kathryn, and their two kids can be found out in the vineyard checking on their prized estate-grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. No wonder, considering each vine gets touched 28 times by their team over the course of a growing season—a spectacularly high number that explains how Small Vines is producing some of the purest, most delicious Californian wines in the game. Since their first vintage in 2005, the Sloans have dedicated themselves to authenticity, balance, and structure. Those three words guide everything they do, from meticulous organic farming to purchasing state-of-the-art ultralight tractors so as not to compact their partially hand-tilled soil.
What began with a pickup truck and a shovel has turned into an obsession with recreating the same Burgundian balance that Paul fell in love with during his time as a busboy. Working in restaurants, he tasted everything he could get his hands on, reading and exploring the world of wine with the intent of recreating the ethereal Burgundies that first called to him. Paul went back to school to study viticulture as he began working for the legendary Warren Dutton of Dutton Ranches. When it came time to make their own wine, the Sloans knew there was nowhere they’d rather be than California. As a fourth-generation Sonoman, Paul knew his home soil had the potential to create world-class wines, despite the fact that he wasn’t seeing that quality it reflected in domestic Chardonnays. Kathryn shared the same conviction, and together they extended vineyard leases until they could purchase their first property in 2007, two years after the initial Small Vines release.
Full control over viticulture is of the utmost importance to Small Vines. They put a truly insane amount of effort, research, and care into growing high-density, low-vigor vines that are quite literally smaller than most—hence the name. Each vine produces one to two pounds of fruit a vintage, which is less than a tenth of what a commercially farmed Chardonnay vine will ripen in California. Water is used only when absolutely necessary, and the tiny clusters are individually thinned with tweezers to make sure every single grape is absolutely perfect. That’s right, tweezers. The 2014 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay comes from their TBH Vineyard, sitting on a cool, windy ridge with heavy coastal influences right outside of Sebastopol. 2014 was the sort of vintage winemakers dream about: an early, warm spring for simultaneous bloom, and a fast and furious harvest after a dry summer.
Paul’s vineyard work has been called obsessive but his intense, hands-on style is balanced by a very laissez-faire attitude in the winery. Chardonnay fruit is sorted in the vineyard and put in neutral French oak barrels while their juice is still cold from the pre-dawn harvest. Fermentation is carried out by natural yeast strains, emulating the simple vinifications of Burgundy. Malolactic fermentation does occur—Paul likes to soften some of the laser-like malic acid, and it prevents the need for sterile filtration. Stainless steel, neutral oak, and only 12% new oak are all used as aging vessels. The wine is racked off of its fine lees according to the biodynamic calendar, and is bottled after 10-11 months without filtration. All in all, an incredibly straightforward and timeless way to make Chardonnay.
The wine is a bright straw-yellow in the glass. Heady aromas of golden apple and lime blossom rise from the glass when it’s at the right temperature: I recommend just under 55 degrees in Burgundy stems (the refrigerator is ~40F). There’s no discernible new-oak influence, but there is a hint of that umami-rich nuttiness that comes from extended aging on the lees. Right away, it’s obvious that this wine has the perfect equilibrium of acidity and richness. White peach, pear and raw hazelnut are balanced by a wonderful salty minerality that reminds you of this vineyard’s proximity to the coast. Your mouth waters for a good 20 seconds after swallowing. The finish has that classic New-World Meyer lemon to it—ripe but bright. Don’t fool around with food pairings: You need crab legs and a big bowl of melted butter. You also need more of this wine, because 2014 is telling us the wine has another five years of fantastic drinking. Cheers!
