2022 Marine Layer - Chardonnay Sonoma Coast Aries (750ml)

Marine Layer Wines is a small Healdsburg producer focused entirely on cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. The name nods to the thick marine fog that rolls in from the Pacific most mornings and evenings, an effect the winery treats as central to its identity rather than just a backdrop. Aries, named for the ram of the zodiac, serves as the entry point into Marine Layer's Chardonnay lineup, built to introduce the range of sites the winery draws on each vintage.

The 2022 Aries is a blend of barrels from several respected Sonoma Coast vineyards, including fruit from the Green Valley and Petaluma Gap sub-AVAs alongside the winery's own Marine Layer Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills. These sites share cool, foggy mornings and evenings along with varied soils, conditions that extend hang time and preserve natural acidity even as flavors develop fully. The wine saw a modest percentage of new oak, enough to add texture without overshadowing the fruit.

Pale straw in the glass, the wine opens with lemon curd, green apple, and jasmine, moving into a citrus-driven palate of Meyer lemon peel and lime leaf laced with a persistent stony minerality. A gentle touch of marzipan and toast from barrel aging rounds out the finish without weighing it down. Its bright acidity and mineral edge make it a natural match for grilled halibut, oysters on the half shell, or a simple roast chicken with lemon and herbs.