Kochana Pinot Noir Chouette Vineyard Sonoma Coast 2022

We love the tension and fierce cut of a colder vintage. But something happens in spring and summer… suddenly, nothing hits like a red wine with the relaxed, chewy, swinging-hammock vibe you get from a warm vintage done right. If you missed it before, now is the time to get Kochana’s impeccable, small-batch, single-vineyard Pinot Noir!

That’s a silly price for a high-end wine – with a gorgeous label, no less – and that’s why you’re here. 

This 2022 comes from the Chouette Vineyard, which sits outside the bohemian town of Occidental. It was a warmer, drier growing season with an earlier harvest. But out here, 1.8 miles from the Pacific Ocean, coastal winds and fog keep the flavors poised, sandy Goldridge soils lend their harmony, and low-yield organic farming ensures character. This wine gives a lot, and asks only that you enjoy it. It’s softer, rounder, sun-soaked. The bouquet sends up mouthwatering sea spray, red plum, saucy tomato, and hay bale. The medium-bodied, open-knit palate is a supple flow of black fig and watermelon candy, with a little mushroom, cream, and mint tea. The savory botanical thread is so good – this is full-on delicious.

Kochana owner-winemaker Anie Peszynski-Jones spent years producing acclaimed Napa Cabernets under Thomas Rivers Brown before channeling that precision into her own small, deeply personal project. She only made a few barrels of the 2022 Chouette.