La Follette, Los Primeros, Chardonnay, Monterrey-Sonoma Counties, California 2017

A beguiling bouquet of white flower, wet stone and honeydew expands with aeration as a note of fresh peach emerges. Subtle hints of thyme and lemon verbena play against the fruit, as refreshing minerality comes to the fore in the late-palate. The opposing sensations of the textured barrel lots and the structure of the tank portions create an exciting tension in this balance and dynamic Chardonnay.

La Follette is a Sonoma County winery intensely focused on crafting wines that offer benchmark expression of vineyard site. La Follette’s portfolio of small lot Chardonnay and Pinot Noir offers a sensory tour of some of the most expressive and interesting vineyards in Sonoma and Mendocino County.

Founder Greg La Follette was undeniably fond of experimentation in his winemaking and his taste for exploration was evident in the wines he crafted. His passion for the true meaning of terroir made him one of the country’s leading authorities on Pinot Noir. His replacement, Hugh Chappelle, has also found his purpose making site-driven, terroir focused wines from singular vineyards. Prior to joining La Follette, the winemaker has been with Quivira for nine years and was previously Director of Winemaking at Lynmar Estate in Russian River Valley.

Under the leadership of Pete and Terri Kight, the same couple behind Quivira Vineyards, La Follette produces distinguished vineyard-designated and appellation Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that take their voice from the sites in which they are grown. Ehren Jordan, from Failla and Day, is a consultant winemaker.