Marchelle, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) Chardonnay 2021

 Greg La Follette’s latest project, Marchelle, leverages his three decades of California winemaking and relationships with vineyards to make incredibly elegant wines.  Lorenzo Vineyard, established in 1970s, is known for making remarkably high quality wines and has some of the oldest Chardonnay plantings in Sonoma County.  It’s no shock that Greg was quick to incorporate this vineyard into Marchelle.  The Lorenzo Vineyard Chardonnay has incredible depth of flavor with pineapple, nectarine, baby’s breath, mango, and slate balanced against bright lemon-lime infused creaminess.  Interestingly, Greg’s 2021 Lorenzo Vineyard harvest report includes a note that the wine showed touches of botrytis, enhancing the complexity of flavors.  Greg’s Old World winemaking style gives the wine a round and rich body that exudes finesse and elegance, set against the wine’s acid-driven backbone.  I hope Greg’s long standing relationship with Lorenzo Vineyard’s Bazzano Family makes this wine a staple in the Marchelle lineup.