2014 Joseph Phelps Chardonnay Freestone Sonoma Coast is sold out.

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2014 Joseph Phelps Chardonnay Freestone Sonoma Coast 750 ml

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  • Curated by unrivaled experts
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  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

Forty Years Ago to the Day: Coche-Dury Deja-Vu

There are few places on Sonoma’s fog-laden coastline capable of challenging the best of Burgundy on the short list of the world’s greatest Chardonnays. Almost all feature Goldridge soils, an ancient seabed of sandy loam that offers ample drainage, allowing roots to spider deep into the substrata. Each spot is cold and edgy, rarely topping 90 degrees on the hottest of summer days, before plummeting into the 50s overnight. The berry size is small. Wente clone clusters are strewn with seedless berries — what the Burgundians call “millerandage” — filling the sturdy shoulders of these cool-climate Chardonnays with a juicy core of lemon-honey opulence.

In 1999, Napa Valley icon Joe Phelps pulled the trigger on a 100-acre dairy farm on the foggy hillsides above Freestone. The Pinot Noir market was piping hot, fueled by the movie Sideways. After evaluating each block on the property for soil composition and exposure, Phelps determined that both world-class Pinot Noir AND Chardonnay could be grown on his new property. Still, Joe played it safe and planted the majority of Pastorale Vineyard to Pinot Noir, setting aside just 20 acres for Chardonnay.

Rugged soils and the chilly microclimate make for tiny yields. In 2014, one of the juiciest and most mineral Chardonnay vintages in memory, yields were just 2.5 tons per acre. Berries were loaded with sugar, yet acids were electrifying.

The 2014 Joseph Phelps Chardonnay Freestone Vineyards Sonoma Coast is a drop-dead knockoff of top-notch 2014 Puligny-Montrachet. Gold-green in hue. Beautifully delineated aromas of lemon oil, beeswax and citronelle, framed by new-wood vanilla. Rich, juicy, and weighty yet tightly wound, with a gorgeous lemon-curd core that’s so reminiscent of Premier Cru Meursault, finishing with bracing acidity and persistence. Drink now for its youthful vibrancy or lay down until the mid-2020s.

92 points from Antonio Galloni, Robert Parker’s hand-picked protégé — with the guy they call The King preparing to weigh in. A steal at $37.99 per bottle. 600 are up for grabs.