| Review: |
"The 2020 Chardonnay TBH Vineyard unfolds its initial flinty tones to reveal white peaches, Meyer lemon, orange blossom, beeswax and roasted almonds. Medium-bodied, the palate is ultra-concentrated, satiny and expansive, enlivened by tangy acidity, and it finishes with great length, detail and texture. I visited Small Vines in Sebastopol in late spring of 2022 to taste the 2020 vintage with owners Paul and Kathryn Sloan, who purchased their Sebastopol property in 2007. This small brand has grown to about 3,000 cases a year. They have leased another vineyard in Sonoma for a special reason: they planted it. ‘Over the last 23 years, we have planted over 40 vineyards in these hills,’ Paul said, looking out over his densely planted, unusually petite vines to which the brand name refers. ‘In hotter areas the plants can be bigger and ripen a bigger crop load,’ Paul explained. ‘In a cool climate, you want a physically smaller plant because it will ripen the fruit in that climate.’ Small Vines is fine tuning its vineyard practices and is focused on regenerative agriculture. ‘Regenerative farming saves money on fuel because there are fewer passes with the tractor, you need less imported nutrients, and the vines become much more efficient at taking up water and nutrients,’ Paul explained. ‘It can become less costly than conventional farming, but it requires more time and conscious thought. You have to be more mindful about what you are doing and why — the cause and the effect.’ Because their six estate vineyards are so small, they are not certified, although the vines have been farmed organically since 2005. Impressively, water usage has been reduced by 45% over the last few years. ‘That’s one of the things COVID-19 gave us,’ said Paul. ‘We were home on a tractor more. I got to expand my knowledge — it was like going to college for a couple of years.’ Pinot Noirs are made with 100% free-run juice, and new oak usage is typically very low, with a touch more for the appellation wines. Small Vines fared very well in 2020, with an early bud-break in mid-February. Grapes here are typically harvested in mid-August; the wildfires started on August 17. ‘There were some fires at Fort Ross and Point Reyes, but because of all the wind, we had a little window of clear blue skies,’ Paul recalled, adding that the small plants and crop loads result in an earlier ripening curve.” |