Sonoma Coast
In 2007 La Rochelle added the Sonoma Coast appellation to its stable of world-class Pinot Noir growing areas. One of the colder appellations in California, the Petaluma Gap allows cold air from the ocean to race eastward, keeping the vineyard temperatures in the 70s and 80s most days. Situated near the city of Petaluma, bordering (on both sides) the Petaluma River, fruit from the La Cruz Vineyard and the Spring Hill Vineyard (2008 vintage) will make their way into our portfolio.
LA CRUZ VINEYARD
This site was originially planted in the late 1980s with Pinot Noir being introduced in 1992. Owned by the Keller family and home to the Keller Estate Winery, this site is comprised of two distinct sections. The upper section, called the El Coro block is comprised of lighter, less fertile soils than the lower block which borders the Petaluma river. Planted to a wide variety of Pinot Noir clones, we harvested clone 115 from both El Coro and the lower block in 2007, and the Dijon clones 115, 667, and 828 from El Coro only in 2008.The resulting wine is wonderfully different from most of the other wines we produce in its rose petal, strawberry, and blood orange aromatic notes and its intense, yet transparent framework. The 2007 offering was made exclusively for members of our Pinot Noir Program, but fruit from this block will make it into a Sonoma Coast appellation wine in 2008. N38o 12’ 35.4” Latitude W122o 32’ 9.7” Longitude.
SPRING HILL VINEYARD
Our newest vineyard partners, Karen and Chris London (seen to the left with Tom Stutz) own and farm the beautiful Spring Hill Vineyard located on the west side of the Petaluma River and even closer to the influences of the Petaluma Gap than the La Cruz site. Planted to a variety of Pinot Noir clones, we harvested the Dijon clones 115 and 667 and the classic Swan clone from Block 1 (seen to the right) in 2008. 
At an early stage, the wine bears some similarity to its Sonoma Coast partner from La Cruz in its strawberry, rose petal, blood orange aromas. Structurally the wine shows some of that transparency and great acidity that this appellation is known for.