2023 Le P'tit Paysan Jack's Hill Chardonnay, Monterey County

Ian Brand sources this Chardonnay from the iron-oxide granite soils of Jack’s Hill on the east side of the Salinas Valley, prioritizing site-specific clarity through restrained cellar intervention. To preserve the vineyard’s innate tension, the fruit is fermented and aged in a combination of neutral French oak, concrete, and stainless steel, emphasizing structural transparency over secondary winemaking artifacts. The historically cool 2023 vintage facilitated an exceptionally long ripening period, allowing for full physiological maturity without the high sugar accumulation typically associated with Central Coast heat spikes. This extended cycle resulted in a wine defined by a taut mineral backbone and high-toned malic acidity, providing a chiseled architecture and a distinct saline-inflected finish. The 2023 bottling remains a model of structural nerve, directly reflecting the cooling venturi effect of the Salinas Valley and the raw materiality of its granitic origins.