2021 Fogstone Vineyard Chardonnay
Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Tasting Notes
“Straw hue. Nice aromas of brioche, honey, passionfruit and white peach leap out of the glass. With some time, notes of nectarine, apricot jam, and apple pie round out the nose. Upon taste, flavors of apple pie and apricot jam lead into a texture that is dense, yet decadent. This Chardonnay finishes full, intense, and with a smooth touch. Enjoy now through 2031.”
~Bill Brosseau, Director of Winemaking
September 2023
“The 2021 Chardonnay Fogstone Vineyard is a potent, tightly wound wine. Mineral and savory notes abound, while fruit is pushed into the background. A wine of subtlety and nuance more than fruit, the Fogstone is super-expressive and full of character. Bright saline notes explode through the finish. This is impressive. “
Antonio Galloni
Vinous
November 2023
Production Data
Growers: Carol & Bret Sisney and Gary Filizetti
Winemaker: Bill Brosseau
Appellation: Santa Lucia Highlands AVA
Elevation/Exposure: 250 – 400 feet; East
Soil: Rocky, well-draining loam soils
Vineyard Age: 28 years
Viticulture Practice: Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing (CCSW)
Vinification: Pressed Whole-cluster, fermented in French Oak
Cooperage & Ageing: 21 months in 100% French oak, 39% new
Production: 20 barrels
Composition: 100% Chardonnay (51% Clone 76, 24% Clone 95, 15% Clone 15, 10% Hudson Clone)
Acidity: 3.33 pH, 6.61 TA (g/L)
Alcohol: 14.3%
Harvest: October 5, 2021, hand harvested
Club Release: September 2023
Release Price: $55
Drink Now Through 2031
Past Vintage Wine Scores
“The hedonistic Fogstone Vineyard Chardonnay has always been one of our favorites, and the 2020 vintage doesn’t disappoint. It’s elegant with a lush, silky texture. Orchard fruit with hints of ripe mango and well-integrated oak are complemented by a sense of stony minerality. Finishes long and seamless. From 27-year-old vines of several different clones (mostly Hudson, 95, 76); matured 21 months in 50% new French oak.” 94+ Points.
Don Winkler
International Wine Review
February 2023
“By a small margin our favorite in what is a very good 2020 line-up of Chardonnays from Testarossa, the Fogstone Vineyard bottling is a weighty but wonderfully well structured working that follows up its fleshy, slightly rounded palatal beginnings with plenty of firming acidity without ever once wavering in its ongoing expression of generous and juicy, optimally ripened fruit. It is a fully-packed wine of considerable richness and layering, yet it earns just as much applause for its balance and clear potential.”
Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine
December 2022
“With a citrus and orchard fruit character similar to the Cortada Alta Chardonnay, the Fogstone Vineyard is infused with minerals from the nose to the precise, lingering finish of stony extract. The palate is dry but dense and beautifully balanced. Spends 18.5 months in 53% new French oak.”
International Wine Review
October 2021
“Ripe and lush with smooth deep flavors and notes of toast and vanilla, long, rich and balanced.”
Anthony Dias Blue
August 2021
“Light, vivid gold. Smoke-accented pear, tangerine and white peach on the nose, with notes of fennel and vanilla adding complexity. Plush orchard, pit and citrus fruit flavors are braced by a smoky mineral quality and become spicier as the wine opens up. Shows fine clarity and strong lift on the mineral-driven finish, which is gripping, focused and quite long. 53% new French oak.”
Josh Raynolds
Vinous
May 2022
“Alkaline aromas of wet rocks and lanolin are used in measured ways on the nose of this bottling, which also offers a dried grapefruit peel note. The palate is very stony and Chablislike, as crushed rock and brisk acidity cut through Meyer lemon and grapefruit-pith flavors.”
Matt Kettmann
December 2021
“Light, bright yellow. Fresh tangerine, pear and honeydew aromas show fine definition and an energizing hint of chalky minerality. Fleshy and energetic on the palate, displaying nervy lift to the juicy citrus and orchard fruit flavors. Finishes sappy, focused and quite long, with a building floral nuance and an echo of juicy citrus fruits.”
Josh Raynolds
Antonio Galloni Vinous
October 2020
“Pale vivid gold. Poached pear, tangerine, honey and jasmine aromas are accompanied by a suggestion of toasty lees. Smooth in texture and subtly sweet, offering juicy orchard and pit fruit and vanilla flavors firmed by a suggestion of bitter citrus pith. The smoky note recurs on a supple, ginger-accented finish that hangs on with impressive tenacity.”
Josh Raynolds
Vinous
November 2019
“Juicy and crisp with racy acidity; silky and bright with tangy style and smooth texture”.
Anthony Dias Blue
June 2018
“Spectacular, marine influenced Chardonnay with a compelling sugar-acid balance. It presents optimally ripened fruit on a suave palate with underlying juicy lemony acidity. East facing and located at the northern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands at 250-400′ this is an especially cool vineyard site, one of the first to be hit by the cool fog coming in from the Monterey Bay. ”
International Wine Review
October 2017
“The Chardonnay Fogstone Vineyard offers lovely perfumy aromas of stone fruit with a hint of oak on the nose. On the palate it has a soft texture with good balance and acidity and a persistent finish.”
International Wine Review
“This deep and expressive Chardonnay places a premium upon richness but it does so with a great sense of balance and proportion all the same. It is arguably the most complex of the fine Testarossa lot, and a wealth of wonderfully well-formed, ripe apple fruit sits solidly beneath its layers of toast, sweet spice and cream. It is quite full in body yet never comes close to dragging its feet, and it will make splendid drinking with the likes of lobster, salmon in sauce or any dish that cries out for a white wine of substance and style.”
Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine
July 2015
“Editor’s Choice – With a nose approaching butterscotch but expertly cut with acidity and cinnamon spice, this is the best Testarossa single-vineyard Chardonnay of 2012. On the palate, there are lovely flavors of salted caramel and yellow peach, and the wine manages to be simultaneously spicy, sharp and smooth. The finish lingers extra long.”
Wine Enthusiast
“Mouthwatering acidity brightens and balances the intensely ripe pineapple jam, Key lime pie and Meyer lemon sweetness of this Chardonnay. Oak plays a prominent part, providing sweet, buttered toast notes. The wine shows the Testarossa style of balancing power and elegance seamlessly.”
Wine Enthusiast
The Fogstone Vineyard
Fogstone Vineyard is owned by Carol & Bret Sisney and Gary Filizetti and is one of the northernmost estates in the Santa Lucia Highlands. It is on an east facing slope that rises from 200 feet to 500 feet as you go up the bench.
Originally planted in 1993 through 1997, Fogstone has thirty-five acres of Pinot Noir, utilizing seven different clones. It has thirty-six acres of Chardonnay consisting of 6 different clones. All seventy-one acres of Fogstone Vineyard are designated for Testarossa, making it one of our few Monopole wines. The property’s close proximity to Monterey Bay makes for a very cool climate, with one of California’s longest growing seasons. The resulting slow, gentle ripening allows for full flavor development on the vine. Fogstone is one of Testarossa’s most innovative vineyard partners; Winemaker Bill Brosseau works very closely with the vineyard manager and directly oversees growing decisions.