Viognier is a very perfumed grape, which means that we have to watch it especially closely in the vineyard to keep flavors from becoming too opulent. We produce this wine from Catie's Corner, a vineyard farmed for us by Steve Dutton, one of the most revered winegrowers of the Russian River Valley. Each year, we look for the perfect point at harvest when this vineyard gives us everything pretty and floral that we love in this wine while maintaining excellent structure and balance. The 2019 vintage has fragrant notes of elderflower, orange marmalade, jasmine tea, and delicately creamy vanilla, with a spicy hint of pink peppercorn as a savory complement.

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We hear it all the time at the winery: although Sauvignon Blanc is the most recognizable white wine that we make, ours is something different. We produce it from Matthew's Station, another of our vineyards under the care and attention of renowned winegrower Steve Dutton. This wine began as a Private Label project we did for a local farm-to-table restaurant, but now we keep almost all for ourselves. Some of its appeal is the balance it strikes between brightness and richness after a little aeration in the glass. The 2019 vintage shows notes of baked green apple, candied lemon peel, and subtle verdant elements, with a hint of briny minerality.

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Winemakers love rosé. At Coterie, we've always made a little behind the scenes. Now it's a regular part of our lineup. We don't make much, but whatever we do produce comes decidedly from Catie's Corner. This vineyard is farmed for us by Steve Dutton, one of the most revered winegrowers of the Russian River Valley. Each year, we select the juiciest, brightest parts of this vineyard — the same vineyard as our single-vineyard Pinot Noir, give this fruit just a few hours on the skins, and finish the delicate result in stainless steel. The 2019 vintage has a lovely faint salmon color with inviting notes of succulent berry, melon, rose hips, and biscuit.

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Roussanne is a challenge to grow and difficult to vinify. At the winery we say Roussanne has everything going against it, except that it tastes really good. It is also beautiful with age. Our friends at Tablas Creek turned us on to the lovely Roussanne at the nearby Glenrose Vineyard within the Adelaida District of Paso Robles. This area is a bit cooler than the rest of Paso Robles, but still the warmest from which we produce. While fermented and aged entirely in neutral (older) French oak, 2019 yielded a wine with aromas among our richest and woodsiest, with notes of vanilla and butterscotch interwoven with higher tones of lemon herbal tea.

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In 2019, we selected a handful of barrels from Hartmann Vineyard with exceptional attributes worthy of a special wine. Hartmann Vineyard is farmed for us by Jim Schultze, whose wines from the vineyard next door at Windy Oaks we have admired for years. Our Whole Cluster release from this vineyard, available only to members, is produced almost entirely from Pommard 4 (with just a splash of 777 for depth), which we fermented with 40% whole clusters. This created a deliciously pure wine with inviting notes of dried Montmorency cherry, toasted pie crust, and rose petal. The Pommard 4 focus makes this wine especially light in color but very flavorful.

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In 2019, we selected a handful of barrels from Tondre Grapefield with exceptional attributes from which we were inspired to make a singular wine. Tondre Grapefield is farmed by multi-generational winegrower Joe Alarid. It is just down the road from Kirk Williams Ranch, so comparisons between the two are provocative. Our 943 Selection release from this vineyard, available only to members, is focused around the 943 selection of Pinot Noir, a less common cutting with extremely small, flavorful clusters. This created a wine of exceptional richness and flavor, with notes of robust dark cherry, abundant bramble, fine cedar, and clove.

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The Pinot Noir at Tondre Grapefield is often our darkest with deeply satisfying fruit and complex savory attributes. Tondre Grapefield is farmed by multi-generational winegrower Joe Alarid. It is just down the road from Kirk Williams Ranch, so comparisons between the two are provocative. We make this wine from Pommard 4, 667, and 943 cuttings planted in the mid-1990s, among our oldest vines. While Pommard 4 and 667 are well known to the area, 943 is a less common cutting with extremely small, flavorful clusters. The 2019 vintage has a Pommard 4 focus and is full of dark cherry complemented by baking spice, hints of cedar, and a savory, earthy finish.

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There is so much demand for Pinot Noir in the Santa Lucia Highlands that sometimes it's easy to forget how delightful the cool-climate Syrah is here too. Sadly, many growers have grafted over their Syrah to other things. We make our Tondre Grapefield Syrah from a field blend of uncertain heritage. It is the darkest, spiciest red we produce. We were excited to discover this small block in 2016, the same vintage when we started our Syrah at Las Madres Vineyard in Carneros to the north. We have made both wines ever since. The 2019 vintage exhibits a purity of fruit focused around blackberry complemented by rose hips and a trace of brioche.

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