Seven Ranchlands Chardonnay (2023)

About this wine

This Chardonnay from Sonoma County comes mainly from Cline’s Catapult Ranch and Tolay Vista vineyards near the cool Petaluma Gap, which helps preserve bright acidity and fresh fruit character. It opens with aromas of meyer lemon, green and baked apple, pear and ripe peach with a touch of pineapple and subtle floral notes. On the palate the wine is medium to full bodied and creamy, showing flavors of lemon curd, apple, pear and stone fruit wrapped in brioche, bread pudding and gentle vanilla spice from French oak aging. The 2023 growing season was notably cool with late bud break and a mild summer, which lengthened hang time and brought extra flavor concentration along with naturally higher acidity and moderate alcohol. Handpicked before dawn, the grapes were fermented in a mix of stainless steel and barrels, went through complete malolactic fermentation, and spent about ten months on lees in roughly 35 percent new French oak, giving the wine its smooth texture, toasty nuances and long, satisfying finish.

About the grape

Chardonnay originated in Burgundy in eastern France and is now one of the most widely planted white grapes in the world, valued for its ability to express different sites and climates. In Sonoma County it thrives in the cool, foggy corridors of places like the Petaluma Gap and Carneros, where ocean air slows ripening and helps preserve natural acidity, a key trait Cline relies on for this Seven Ranchlands wine. The grape is grown here on carefully managed vineyard blocks such as Catapult Ranch and Tolay Vista, where canopy and yield are controlled so the fruit can handle both stainless steel and barrel fermentation without losing freshness. Chardonnay is also well suited to full malolactic fermentation and aging on French oak, which Cline uses to add body and texture while still showcasing the variety’s clean fruit grown in these coastal influenced ranchlands.

Quick facts

• 7 The name Seven Ranchlands honors the Cline parents who raised seven children while farming seven different vineyard ranches and this Chardonnay is the white flagship of that story
• 🌬 Most grapes for this Chardonnay come from vineyards in the Petaluma Gap a rare coastal wind tunnel that funnels icy Pacific air through the Sonoma hills stretching out ripening and boosting bright flavors
• ❄️ The 2023 vintage grew through an unusually cold season with late bud break and a long slow ripening which helped create vivid flavors at modest alcohol and is considered a standout year for this wine
• ⚗️ Half of the wine ferments with cultured yeast in stainless steel while the other half starts fermenting on its own in barrels a split approach that layers clean fruit notes with wild spicy complexity
• 🐑 Cline was an early champion of sustainable farming in Sonoma using sheep geese and cover crops in the vineyards so every bottle of Seven Ranchlands Chardonnay reflects a mini ecosystem at work

Palate profile

Producer

Cline Family Cellars was founded by Fred and Nancy Cline in 1982, beginning in Oakley where Fred restored and vinified old Contra Costa vineyards to produce Mourvèdre, Carignane and Zinfandel. The family purchased a 350 acre horse farm in the Carneros region in 1989 and established their farmhouse winery and tasting grounds in Sonoma in the early 1990s. Cline built a reputation for its Ancient Vines wines sourced from century old vineyards, and for early plantings of Rhône style varieties that helped define the Rhone movement in California. The estate is committed to sustainable farming and energy efficiency, and it also hosts the California Missions Museum on the property as part of its community and historical stewardship.