Scribe Sonoma Valley Chardonnay 2021
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Notes of pineapple, sea spray and orange zest.
Scribe Winery in Sonoma, California, produces vibrant, terroir-driven wines. The winery – founded in 2007 on a property that pioneered pre-prohibition Sonoma Valley winemaking – is managed by fourth-generation California farmers and brothers, Andrew and Adam Mariani.
Andrew and Adam believe that the best wines are a result of a healthy relationship between man and nature, and that a vineyard managed in harmony with the greater ecosystem results in more site-specific wines that represent a sense of time and place. When vinified with non-interventionist methods, the result is a distinct wine that faithfully reflects what the vineyard naturally expresses.
The vineyard they purchased is a storied pre-Prohibition site (that had reverted to a derelict turkey farm) nestled amongst some age-old California names like Buena Vista and Gundlach-Bundschu, on the Sonoma-side of Carneros.
Andrew and Adam immediately planted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, understanding the natural affinity for those grapes to the area, but they embraced varieties historically connected to the original German-born, Champagne-producing vignerons that had planted St. Laurent, Riesling, and Sylvaner in the 1850’s.
Scribe manages to be new school without forsaking the old, and they don’t just farm their vineyards organically but embrace a philosophy they call “Forever Wild Farming” that considers how the vineyard and the winery (and its kitchen gardens) can coexist with, and within, the ecosystem as a whole.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Perhaps the most historically significant appellation in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Valley is home to both Buena Vista winery, California's oldest commercial winery, and Gundlach Bundschu winery, California's oldest family-run winery.
It is also one of the more geologically and climactically diverse districts. The valley includes and overlaps four distinct Sonoma County sub-appellations, including Carneros, Moon Mountain District, Sonoma Mountain and Bennett Valley. With mountains, benchlands, plains, abundant sunshine and the cooling effects of the nearby Pacific, this appellation can successfully produce a wide range of grape varieties. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Gewürztraminer, and most notably, Zinfandel all thrive here. Ancient Zinfandel vines over 100 years old produce small crops of concentrated, spicy fruit, which in turn make some of the Valley's most unique wines. These can also be made as “field blends” (wines made from a mix of grape varieties grown in the same vineyard) along with Petite Sirah, Carignan and Alicante Bouschet.