2022 The Key

93 Points: James Suckling JamesSuckling.com - October 24, 2024

“So luscious and creamy that it's almost a dessert wine. This is deep, layered and indulgent. Baked apples, poached pears, vanilla bean, marzipan, nutmeg and of course butter make a delicious blend, backed by a subtle but balancing lemony tang that kicks in at the end. Drink now or hold. Screw cap.”

We pride ourselves on working with growers who know the land intimately. Vintage after vintage, the partnerships we have with our growers provide us with beautiful fruit. The 2022 vintage was impacted by a third consecutive year of drought that resulted in up to a 10-30% reduction in yields. The growing season was temperate, which in grape growing means we were on track or ahead of normal growth. Then we saw some heat spikes that prompted our first picks. 2022 was a year for vintage-to-vintage variation and differentiation between vineyards. Among its key vineyards, this blend combines fruit from five of our most prized sources; Sangiacomo Vineyard, Dutton Ranch, Mirabelle, Milovina, and Dale Ricci Vineyards. Each component is carefully selected by our winemaking team to create the harmonious symphony that is The Key.

We are now in our ninth vintage of crafting master blends of Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay. We named these wines The Loch and The Key, both as a nod to our founder Steve MacRostie’s Scottish heritage and to his early experiences as a cryptographer in Europe for the U.S. Army. Combining decades of winemaking mastery with our rich history on the Sonoma Coast, The Loch, and The Key are consummate blends, artfully crafted from our best blocks and barrels of wine. “Our goal is simple, but not easy,” says Winemaker Heidi Bridenhagen. “We search our cellar for our most beautiful wines of the vintage—stirring wines that sing on the palate. Then we begin blending.” Like a secret code unlocked by our winemakers, The Key embodies everything that we know about making great Chardonnay.

• composition:

  100% Chardonnay

• alcohol: 14.2%
• cases made:

  427

• aging:

  Aged sur-lie 17 months French oak: 22% new,  22% once-filled oak

• fermentation:

  Whole cluster pressed then racked into French oak for primary and malolactic fermentation.