Darling La Cruz Vineyard Chardonnay Petaluma Gap 2020

Darling Wines is a dazzling new brand from power-couple Tom and Ashley Darling. With an eye for quality, holistic values, and a collaborative mindset, these two have started this family brand with the clearest of intentions: to make site-specific wines with traditional techniques and minimal intervention to express the true nature of the terroir. Their mutual love for coastal Pinot Noir inspired the inception of the project, and it remains the backbone of their portfolio. When fruit from the La Cruz Vineyard became available, they leapt at the chance to work with it. This vineyard is nestled within Sonoma County’s newest AVA, the Petaluma Gap. While the Petaluma name gives it a sense of place, it’s the Gap that gives the new appellation real definition. A 15-mile-wide opening in the coastal mountain range brings cold air from the Pacific Ocean and pulls it east over land to the San Pablo Bay. Heavy morning fog during the growing season is as much a given as wind in the afternoon. Temperatures consistently swing 40–50 degrees over the course of a day, thanks to the return of fog each night. It’s a tough growing environment that rewards patience and nerve; yields are low and grapes ripen slowly. The wines from this AVA offer rich, textured intensity with cool-climate aromatics and undeniable acidity. The La Cruz Vineyard was planted by Ted Lemon, a pioneer in California viticulture. He is the proprietor and winemaker of Littorai and leads the industry in biodynamic practices. While the majority of the La Cruz is planted to Pinot Noir, Tom and Ashley secured a few rows of Chardonnay that boast 35-year-old root stock. In order to finesse the terroir into bottle, the Darlings opted to allow the wine to ferment in neutral barrels without any racking or lees stirring, and then they moved the wine to a stainless steel tank to finish its aging process. Nervy and bright, this wine almost leaps out the bottle with racy acidity and citrus notes. Sunshine in a bottle and perfect for the summer days ahead, don’t miss this wine as it is the last vintage that the Darlings will be making from the vineyard!