Petaluma Chardonnay 2024

This may not have the stuffing of other releases of this wine, but there’s excellent complexity and structure on show. A flashy melding of high quality cedar, white nectarine flesh and lashings of flint open proceedings aromatically followed by fuzzy peach skin, red apple, nougat, and toasted cashew. There’s an attractive umami saline element that appears with air adding to the interest. It’s a classic Petaluma though in a tight frame thanks to the cool 2024 vintage. The palate feels coiled and tensile though amply textured with notes of red apple, preserved lemon, kumquat and nectarine at the fore, with cedar, flint and toasted almond in support. The acid is pithy and firm, the phenolic edge chalky, both providing a frame for the bitter citrus preserve notes to carry long.