2009 Pahlmeyer Jayson North Coast Chardonnay

Pahlmeyer, in St. Helena, was founded in the mid-1980s when Jayson Pahlmeyer, a Bay Area lawyer, found he preferred thinking about wine to reading legal briefs. Pahlmeyer produced its debut vintage in 1986, and Robert M. Parker Jr. gave it 94 pts. Today the winery owns 88 acres near Atlas Peak and 30 acres on the north Sonoma Coast and and grows Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Randy Dunn was in charge of winemaking for the first few vintages and in 1993 Helen Turley became Pahlmeyer’s winemaker. Today the winemakers are Kale Anderson at the Napa Valley vineyards and Bibiana Gonzalez Rave is the consulting winemaker for the Sonoma Coast vineyards. Pahlmeyer is known for its Bordeaux-style blends as well as Chardonnay, Merlot and Pinot Noir. The wines earn consistently complimentary reviews.

North Coast AVA includes California’s most prestigious sub-appellations and vineyards. The three million acre area includes vineyards in six counties north of San Francisco and nearly 50 sub-appellations. The Napa Valley and Sonoma County AVAs are just two of the renowned sub-appellations included in the North Coast designation, which also includes the AVAs Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Oakville, Stag’s Leap and Rutherford, which are all among the most acclaimed wine producing districts in California. The North Coast AVA designation is generally used for wines made by blending grapes grown in several counties or AVAs. The appellation includes part of the counties of Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Marin, Solano and Lake.

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.