New (2022 vintage) releases from Jamie Kutch, one of California’s leading Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producers

Website: Kutch Wines (includes videos of the vineyards)

Over the last few years Jamie Kutch has emerged as one of California’s leading proponents of Pinot Noir. Working with talented cool-climate (and often marginal) sites he’s making some very exciting wines. His Chardonnays are also becoming quite serious. This page collates all the recent releases, and begins with the 2022 Pinot Noirs which I recently tried.

For more on the Kutch story, see this article.

Kutch Pinot Noir 2022 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. This is a 16 barrel blend from vineyards planted 1972-1999 at 500-1400 feet. 50% whole cluster, matured in old French oak. Silky and refined with smoothly textured red cherry fruit with a touch of strawberry. Lovely elegance here with a core of pure, sweet fruit and some very fine green notes, plus a touch of olive on the finish. Such a beautiful Pinot Noir. 95/100

Kutch Falstaff Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. 13 barrels made of this wine from vines planted in 1999 at 505 ft elevation 8 miles from the Pacific in a cold, foggy pocket of the Sonoma Coast. Goldridge soils with 50% whole bunch and maturation in old French oak. Beautiful aromatics here: perfumed and floral with red cherry fruit and a hint of grape and musk, as well as some dried herbs. So floral. The palate is beautifully focused with sleek red cherry and raspberry fruit with a twist of orange peel and a slight bitterness (but in a nice way). Has nice structure and some rocky mineral notes. Beautiful stuff with potential for development, and a slight mulchy quality too. 95/100

Kutch Bohan Vineyard Pinor Noir 2022 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. 4 barrels from a vineyard planted in 1972 at 1400 ft three miles from the Pacific on Goldridge soils. 50% whole bunch, matured in old oak. Sweetly aromatic notes with black cherries, stewed plums and strawberry as well as fine spice, pepper, liquorice and black tea. The palate is fresh and supple with fine green spicy notes under the lush silky cherry fruit. Finely wrought with a wide dynamic range, and approachable young. 95/100

Kutch McDougall Ranch Pinot Noir 2022 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. 8 barrels of this wine made from vines planted in 1998 3.5 miles from the Pacific, at an altitude of 1010 feet. Greywacke and sandstone soils. 50% whole bunch and matured in used French oak. Beautiful aromatics here with floral red cherry fruit, wild strawberries, chalk and a touch of mulch. The palate is textured and fresh with sleek, silky red fruits and a twist of orange peel and some raspberry crunch. Fine and expressive with a slightly stony finish. Real potential for development but lovely now too. 96/100

Kutch Bohan Graveyard Block Pinot Noir 2022 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. This is from four barrels made from a one acre block in the Bohan vineyard marked by a tombstone from 1875. It was planted in 1988 on its own roots, and is dry grown on rocky soils. 100% destemmed, matured in used French oak. This is an edgy, powerful but fresh expression of Pinot Noir, showing black cherries and even a touch of blackcurrant with lovely tannic structure. There are notes of iodine and spice, and chalk and gravel, all sitting under dense but focused black fruits. Grainy and detailed with finishes quite firm. It’s not floral and silky but rather dense and edgy, and at the same time fine and well balanced with lots of potential for development. 96/100

Earlier notes

This was a chance to taste the new 2021 releases of the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Below this are last year’s new releases reviewed.

Kutch Chardonnay 2021 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. This is a 10-barrel blend from the Bohan vineyard, planted in 1972 at 1400 feet, just three miles from the Pacific. Whole cluster-pressed into barrel, 20% new. Wonderfully energetic bright nose with a briny edge to the pineapple, melon and apple notes. The palate has some richness of fruit, but also nice tension. Ripe pear and apple here, with some herbal twist (rosemary? sage?) and then some lively acidity. Lovely depth here, with some vitality. 94/100

Kutch Bohan Salt Point Block 2021 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. Two barrels of this made, from a vineyard planted at 1500 feet, three miles from the Pacific, in 2018. Whole cluster pressed into French oak, 50% new. Intense, nutty, spicy nose with some savoury woody notes with a twist of bitter orange peel. The palate is vital and bright with keen acidity under the fresh lemony fruit, with a hint of apple, and also some spicy woody notes, although the oak doesn’t give the sweeter vanilla notes that could be off-putting. This is quite serious, but give it a year or two to integrate properly. 94/100

Kutch Trout Gulch Vineyard 2021 Santa Cruz Mountains, California
13% alcohol. Nine-barrel blend from a vineyard at 600 feet planted in 1977. Really aromatic with notes of pineapple, pear and lemon as well as some spice and nuts, with some mandarin, too. The palate is so vivid, lively and tangy, showing a good concentration of lemon and orange peel notes, with a hint of hazelnut and some sweet spicy frills, finishing with some sweet baked lemon notes. There’s almost a bit of musqué grapey quality here. 95/100

Kutch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2021 California
13% alcohol. This is made from selected barrels of all the single-vineyard wines, from plantings ranging from 1972 to 1999. Altitude ranges from 500-1400 feet, and it’s 50% whole bunch. Sweet, supple and vibrant with cherry and raspberry fruit, with a bit of grip and hints of tar and spice under the sleek fruit. There’s a combination of elegance and spicy grip, and there’s also a bit of dissolved carbon dioxide that gives an impression of freshness. On the second day this has settled down nicely. 93/100

Kutch Falstaff Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. From a vineyard planted in 1999 in a cold, foggy pocket of the Sonoma Coast. It’s Kutch’s most marginal site, and this is fermented 50% whole cluster and is aged in old barrels. It’s very fresh and supple with bright black cherry and berry fruits, with some floral overtones, but also a bit of sternness on the palate, which shows good acidity and a savoury, slightly cedary edge to the pure fruit. Lovely precision here: a somewhat nervy, taut wine that’s holding back on pleasure right now, but which will certainly deliver it in the future. Linear and quite juicy on the finish. 94/100

Kutch McDougall Ranch Pinot Noir 2021 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. From a vineyard planted in 1998 at 1010 feet, 3.5 miles from the Pacific. Rocky Greywacke and sandstone soils, and a site above the fog line that is the warmest that Kutch works with. 50% whole bunch. Sweetly aromatic on the nose with ripe cherries and berries, a touch of liqueur-like richness and some green mulchy hints in the background. The palate is sweetly fruited with nice grip under the lush fruit. Really open and inviting, but with some structure under the perfumed, sweet, silky fruit. Such a lovely wine, finishing really bright. 95/100

Kutch Mindego Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 Santa Cruz Mountains, California
13% alcohol. From a vineyard owned by David and Stacy Gollnick planted in 2009 at 925 ft, 8 miles from the Pacific, on shale and silty clay loams. This is on a south-facing slope. 50% whole cluster. This has a lovely sweet, ripe cherry and plum fruit core, and is rounded and seductive with elegance and density at the same time. There’s also a lovely wild strawberry character that emerges on day two, and then a bit of raspberry crunch. Such an appealing, forward Pinot Noir with silkiness, elegance and freshness. 95/100

Kutch Bohan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. Three miles from the Pacific at 1400 ft elevation, this is a vineyard planted in 1972 on Goldridge soils, 50% whole bunch. There’s a lovely spicy, savoury intensity here with sweet black cherry fruit and some lush blackberry notes. So many layers of spice, tar, dried herbs, black cherries and then some nice firm, grippy tannins. There’s density here, but also elegance. Potential to age here, but there’s already enough silkiness to the palate to make this pleasurable now. 95/100

Kutch Bohan Graveyard Block Pinot Noir 2021 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. 1988 plantings, 3 miles from the Pacific at 1500 ft elevation, on sandstone. 100% destemmed. Beautiful fresh, floral nose with a fine green hint to the black cherry fruit, with a hint of chalkiness. The palate is sleek and pure with fine cherry and plum fruit, showing some fine spicy notes and a stony minerality. This is quite profound, and although it shows approachability now, there’s substantial potential for upside. 96/100

Older notes:

Kutch Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2020 California
13% alcohol. From an own-rooted vineyard planted in 1972, at 1400 ft, 3 miles from the Pacific (it’s Bohan Vineyard), this is fermented in French oak (20% new) and has minimum effective SO2 added. It’s sensational. Taut, fine and lemony with keen acidity, but no feeling of compression. There’s generous crystalline citrus fruit with a fine, spicy structure and a touch of salinity on the finish. Very pure and focused, but offering real complexity at low alcohol. There’s just a faint hint of mineral reduction and everything is in perfect harmony. This would be so hard to place tasted blind. I really love it. 96/100

Kutch Chardonnay Trout Gulch Vineyard 2020 Santa Cruz Mountains, California
13% alcohol. This is from a vineyard planted in 1977, at 600 feet, 3.5 miles from the Pacific. Sandy loam soils. Whole cluster pressing then wild ferment in 11 barrels, two of which are new. Minimal effective sulfites added. This has a vital, mineral, saline nose of taut citrus fruit. The palate is stony and mineral with keen acidity, taut lemon, pear and green apple fruit, and a slight twist of mineral reduction, as well as hints of toast and spice. Taut and expressive, and one for the long haul, I reckon. 96/100

Kutch Sans Soufre Pinot Noir 2021 Sonoma Coast, California
12% alcohol. This is from a vineyard planted in 1998, 3.5 miles from the Pacific on Greywacke and sandstone at 1010 feet. 100% whole cluster, four barrels made. It’s supple and fresh: initially there’s a bit of prickle from carbon dioxide, but then it eases into itself, showing sleek dark fruits: black cherry and blackberry. There are some supple herbal notes, with a slight lift and just the faintest touch of ethyl acetate in the background, as well a real sense of freshness. Under the sappy black fruits there’s some nice structure that melds well with the fruit. Nice weight here. So drinkable. 92/100

Kutch Mindego Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2019 Santa Cruz Mountains, California
12.5% alcohol. From a 10 acre vineyard planted in 2009 at 925 feet, 8 miles from the Pacific,  on silty clay loam with some schist. 75% whole bunch. There’s a lovely aromatic nose with some sweet cherry and plum fruit as well as sappy greenness and a bit of wet stone. In the mouth this is fresh and supple, with nice smooth, sweet cherry and plum fruit, showing richness and texture, but also some green freshness on the finish. Has grainy structure, and potential for development. 94/100

Kutch McDougall Ranch Pinot Noir 2020 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. 11 barrels only of this Pinot which comes from a vineyard at 1010 feet 3.5 miles from the Pacific, planted in 1998. Greywacke and sandstone soils, 50% whole bunch, used French oak. Rocky soils and this is a warm site, above the fog line. It has a lovely sweet black fruits nose with some mulchy whole bunch character, and fine spices in the mix. The palate has sleek black fruits with a nice hint of greenness, and then some structure book-ending the fruit. Supple, ripe, but with focus, this has the guts to age well, but it’s already highly drinkable. Brooding, swirling and a bit elusive. 94/100

Kutch Bohan Graveyard Block Pinot Noir 2019 Sonoma Coast, California
13% alcohol. From a vineyard at 1500 feet 3 miles from the Pacific planted in 1988 on sandstone soils. 100% destemmed. This has complex brooding aromatics with some green hints sitting under sweet berry fruits with some iodine/ferrous savoury complexity. The palate is sweetly fruited and fine with nice cherry and plum fruit, as well as some herbal hints and a brooding spiciness. This finishes with some tannic grip, although the silky texture of the fruit masks the structure somewhat. Lots of interest here: some pleasure but also some sternness. I reckon this has an interesting future ahead of it, and it’s really fine. 95/100

UK agent: Roberson Wines

The 2018s, tasted last year:

Kutch Wines Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 Sonoma, California
13.2% alcohol. 42 barrels made, from a mix of vineyards aged 19-36 years old. 100% whole cluster, wild ferment, minimal SO2. This has nice density: there’s firm tannin under the raspberry and cherry fruit. There’s freshness but also some sleek texture, with a little lushness. This is bright with some grip, and there’s lots of potential for development, although you can drink it now. Some fine herbal hints in the background. 94/100

Kutch Wines McDougall Ranch Pinot Noir 2018 Sonoma Coast, California
13.5% alcohol. From a vineyard planted in 1998 on Greywacke and Sandstone soils at 1010 feet on an exposed southern slope, 3.5 miles from the Pacific. 100% whole bunch, naturally made with minimal SO2 additions. It’s a warm site with rocky soils and you can taste it in the wine: ripe and beautifully aromatic with sweet berry and cherry fruits, framed by gentle herbal notes, as well as lavender and mint. The palate is concentrated and beautifully poised, with some ripeness but also freshness, and a lovely berry fruit core. This has the structure to age, as well as quite a bit of concentration, but it also has some approachability. At its heart, though, this is an immense wine, combining concentration, intensity, freshness and finesse. 96/100

Kutch Wines Signal Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 Mendocino Ridge, California
From 1999 plantings, seven barrels made. This vineyard is 8.9 miles from the Pacific at an altitude of 2800 ft, above the fog line. It’s the highest vineyard in Sonoma and Mendocino. 13.2% alcohol. 100% whole cluster. Floral and enticing with sweet raspberry fruit and some sappy green notes. The palate has bright spicy framing with some sweetness on the mid-palate. There’s a smoothness and silkiness here with some green hints. Shows nice grip: you can taste the stems, which add freshness and a bit of end-palate spicy edginess. 94/100

Kutch Wines Falstaff Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 Sonoma Coast, California
1999 plantings 8.2 miles from the Pacific on Goldridge soils. This is a marginal site in a cold and foggy pocket of the Sonoma Coast. 23 barrels made. Supple and fresh with lovely red cherry and berry fruit. This has a nice fine, sleek texture with some rounded structure. There’s some maturity to the fruit, which is ripe and lush. Textural and elegant with great finesse. Nice grainy, grippy structure here with finesse and purity. Light and elegant. 95/100

Kutch Wines Bohan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018 Sonoma Coast, California
From vines planted in 1972 at 1400 feet, 3.5 miles from the Pacific on Goldridge soils. 100% whole cluster. Aromatic, floral, peppery nose with some fine herbal hints. The palate is bright, quite light and really expressive. Generous and quite silky with some spicy, herbal framing to the red and black fruits. Just so drinkable and easy, but with a hint of seriousness. 93/100

Kutch Bohan Graveyard Block Pinot Noir 2018 Sonoma Coast, California
Four barrels made from a vineyard planted in 1988 on sandstone soils, 3 miles from the Pacific. This is supple and refined with sweet cherries and plums, showing incredible elegance and refinement. There’s some structure here, but also lovely textured fruit, with a faint cedar and spice framing. Complex and with substance, but also an incredible lightness. 96/100

There are reviews of the 2017s and 2016s elsewhere on this site.

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