As we await our annual spring release, we offer our reflections on the exceptional 2023 vintage and a preview of the wines that will be available to you in a few days. We’re not the only ones excited about 2023. The early critics (Wine Advocate and James Suckling) shared our enthusiasm, giving the wines high praise. This reaction matches ours. Sashi—not known for hyperbole—has remarked that 2023 is likely his favorite in the 14-year history of Domaine de la Côte releases. Conditions aligned for a vintage of great natural complexity, high integrity, and an ability to deliver pleasure in both the near and long term.

If you are familiar with the Domaine and the Sta. Rita Hills appellation, you’re used to hearing about the cool climate. Even by our windblown standards, 2023 was cool. Naturally low yields and the cool spring and summer allowed the fruit to arrive at maturity with a comfortably slow, steady pace. Because the growing season was so long and gradual, we didn’t need warmer days to get past the finish line. (The customary harvest heat spike arrived after we had already picked.) Rather, the relatively cool harvest allowed us to dial in the harvest times. Historically, this scenario has been the formula for some of Burgundy’s most glorious vintages (think 1985 and 1999).

In terms of character, 2023 gave us a wealth of desirable tannin. Accruing tannin can sometimes be a struggle here, as grape skins are thin and the berries don’t produce many seeds, which is one reason we habitually ferment with 100% whole bunches and have been increasing the percentage of new wood. The preponderance of sweet tannins in 2023 allowed us to incorporate less press wine without sacrificing structure or density. These tannins carry flavor while knitting together a fine texture, lengthening the palate, and anchoring the wines’ structure. Our team expertly handled this vintage, as consistency and cohesiveness of personnel (it was our winemaker Claire Wilson’s fifth vintage) is an under-discussed factor in producing great wine.

We recommend cellaring these for a few years, but if you want to try them younger, please decant or give them some time to breathe, as they will blossom with some aeration. Otherwise, we expect 2023 to be a long-lasting vintage that will find its peak in a decade or more. We’re so excited to share this beautiful vintage.

Complex, intriguing, and ravishing, the nose mingles ripe red berries and herbal stems with white pepper and flower-driven high notes. On the tongue, the wine’s densely packed, detailed complexity is apparent. Tannins are compact, sweet, and full of flavor. Structurally, the wine is toned and lithe, amicably accessible when young but
concentrated enough to gracefully mature for more than a decade. 

A glorious Bloom’s Field, singing with high-pitched fruit, bright and clear notes of red fruit and white flower, and an underlying sensation of clarity and precision. Aromas and flavors feel magnified and sharp—closeups of raspberry, strawberry, and cherry—garlanded with herbal suggestions of mint, basil, and tarragon. Texturally viscous and plush, the wine feels round and dense with stuffing, livened by a bolt of acidity, before a rush of flavorful tannins anchors the entire structure. 

The signature potent, earthy tones of Memorious make their expected appearance, joined, as usual, with deep aromas of roasted strawberry and cherry not jammy but rich and sun-kissed. Underneath lurk notes of wet clay, stone dust, and peppery leaves. Full in the mouth, the wine’s well-integrated acidity and chalky texture support plush, luxurious tannin on the finish. 

Complex and powerfully floral on the nose, sporting an intricate matrix of fruit aromas, lacy and finely woven. While not a big wine size-wise, its command and intensity are apparent—wiry strength with bright acid and fine tannins. Rose and cherries emerge, carried through to a wispy, graceful finish that lingers lengthily on the back of the tongue.