Tasting Notes
Rich, creamy texture and balanced acidity. It features notes of apple, pear, and subtle oak, and some also detect hints of lemon, butter, and baking spices. Full bodied.
Food Pairing – chicken, seafood, and cheese platters.
James Suckling 93 Points
Gust Petaluma Gap Chardonnay grapes are sourced from two of our vineyards in the Petaluma Gap. The majority of fruit came from our Tolay Vista vineyard, south of Stage Gulch Road, in the rolling hills at the base of Wildcat Mountain. Clone 17 is planted here and we have less stressed vines, so larger yields in a slightly less exposed position. This leads to similar harvest dates for each block in late October, extremely late compared to most growing seasons. The rest comes from our Diamond Pile Ranch located on Old Adobe Road on the Eastern boundary of the Petaluma Gap. The vineyard was planted in 2001 and the block this fruit comes from is from the steepest part of the vineyard and planted to clone 76 on rootstock 5BB. Heavy clays dominate this area and the vines are naturally stressed, yielding a low crop of concentrated fruit with thick skins and a long ripening season. 2023 was the coldest year in recent history, with a late bud break, and a lack of heat and sunshine throughout the year leading to what would be politely called a mild Summer. Grapes were picked at unusually low sugars with unparalleled flavor and acidity making this truly a vintage for the ages that will reward cellaring.
Grapes were harvested separately and brought to winery where they were whole cluster pressed. Juice fractions were separated and settled for 24 hours without any additions. After 24 hours they were racked off the heavy solids and allowed to warm up to begin a natural fermentation. As soon as fermentation begins the juice was barreled down to primarily once-used barrels with some new for about 30% new equivalent French oak barrels. Once dry we inoculated the wine with a house ML culture. Barrels were stirred during both fermentation processes and once double dry we add its first SO2 addition and then aged on lees for 10 months before blending and bottling.
About Gust
Gust is the second-generation offshoot of Sonoma’s Cline Family Cellars. The brainchild of Megan Cline and Hilary Cline, the project was launched to tap the potential of California’s most exciting new wine appellation: the Petaluma Gap, recently recognized as superb for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Syrah.
Owing to a mixture of foresight and luck, our father Fred planted vineyards here in the late 1990s, before the area gained grape growing renown. Cline has historically been associated with Zinfandel and Rhone varieties, but as we came of age, we gravitated toward cooler-climate wines, and wanted to lavish these sites with the attention they deserve, farming them at the highest level and making the most special wines possible.
Thus: Gust. The name is meant to convey the atmosphere of the Petaluma Gap, where, like clockwork, morning fog gives way to blustery winds. But we also like to think that the name represents the energy of the new generation. We’re applying a kind of different ambition to the privilege of our family experience, riding contemporary currents and sharing what we learn with our neighbors, many of whom are on a similar path. We’re actually a little obsessive-compulsive about it, but we’re also having a lot of fun – proceeding with gusto, you might say. In truth, Gust is a blast – and a breath of fresh air.
