Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard Anderson Valley 2021

The epitome of meticulous farming is what always comes to mind first when I think of Bearwallow. This deep end Anderson Valley site has been a part of our program since 2016 and we enjoy its different nature from all the tiny clustered Sonoma Coast vineyards that make up the majority of our program. This bottling always has a distinctive yellow fruited character complemented by a saline and roasted nut character. Our little 1.5 acre Wente clone block has matured into one of the unique coastal Chardonnays we taste every year. In recent tastings it has become clear that both Bearwallow bottlings in 2021 (Chardonnay and Pinot) are the best Bearwallow bottlings to date. The only problem is, I have no idea why. We’ve always loved the site and the farming remains impeccable. Maybe it is vine age that contributes more depth and complexity moving the wine away from its banana candy/tropical fruit dominated palate to something more peachy and white flower dominated. There’s a slight reductive quality too that adds pear and almond paste with the slightest bit of spiciness lingering on the finish. This is a more multi-dimensional Bearwallow and hopefully something we can figure out soon so we can replicate it in future vintages.