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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2010 and 2015 (based on 23 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.2 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 25 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by PIntag on 4/25/2024 & rated 94 points: This second bottle was also in great shape. Best as it warmed to near room temp. A substantial and complex new world Chard that is more than just a summer sipper. I can't afford Grand Cru White Burg, but I imagine this probably delivers something close, and at only $6/bottle from auction. Thoroughly enjoyed these two bottles, but now they are gone :( (56 views) | | | Tasted by PIntag on 4/13/2024 & rated 94 points: 13.9% abv. Recent auction purchase (2 bottles).
Cork in great shape and came out in 1 piece with only the very bottom stained.
Dark, deep golden color - almost orange. Not very appetizing, really, but I digress.
This was a deep and rich chard, complex, long, and balanced. Integrated in a way that only age can bring. Not what would I would call youthful, but not exhibiting its age in a mature way. This should hold for a while yet. (46 views) | | | Tasted by TylerMcNinch on 7/17/2014: I'm very happy to report a return to form with this bottle. Delicious, mature flavors and vibrant acid. Drink. (1952 views) | | | Tasted by TylerMcNinch on 2/21/2014 flawed bottle: Oxidative, with bruised apple scents and flavors, lacking verve. Hope this is just the one bottle. WO Chards usually age very well. (1601 views) | | | Tasted by Brsed on 7/5/2012 & rated 93 points: Really nice. Was better on day two. Quite a bit of peach and melon with a bit of citrus and a "stone" mineral element with a crisp acidity. Well done. Wish I had more '07's left. (2094 views) | | | Tasted by Blue Shorts on 5/27/2012 flawed bottle: Flawed, but not completely bad. Tasted a bit maderized. Color was a darkish yellow, which may indicate oxidation. Opened two bottles and both were the same. Very disappointing for such an expensive chardonnay. (2191 views) | | | Tasted by Brsed on 4/14/2012 & rated 91 points: Very elegant Chard. Nice, crisp fruit with excellent acidity. (2044 views) | | | Tasted by Blue Shorts on 7/11/2011 & rated 92 points: Popped and poured. Could use 1-3 hours of air. Absolutely delicious now. Nose of peach , flowers and pear with a touch of oak. The taste is smooth pear, peach, honey,... beautiful. Finishes smooth and long with a good bit of acid. Driink now and for the next 5+ years. (1619 views) | | | Tasted by scott davis on 5/7/2011 & rated 93 points: Medium golden color, with aromas of Meyer lemon, pineapple, honey, and a hint of lychee. There’s a touch of saline appearing before and after a core of fresh pineapple, lime, and melon on the palate. Flavors of vanilla and oak are accretive and impart a nice creaminess. Expansive finish. (1774 views) | | | Tasted by Blue Shorts on 3/27/2011: Needs more time. Good acid level and good fruit. Goes great with seafood. Next bottle in 2012. (1313 views) | | | Tasted by Blue Shorts on 8/15/2010 & rated 91 points: 50+5+12+17+8
Popped and poured at cellar temperature. This wine whows best just below room temperature. A fantastic effort by Jim Shultze! Clearly burgundian in style. The nose is of minerals, stone, oak, and stone fruits. The taste is similar to the nose with a good acid level. There is a tiny bit too much oak, but I expect this will lessen with time. It's been a year since I last tasted it and the oak presence has diminished. The finish is long and loaded with minerals. A keeper, for sure. (1600 views) | | | Tasted by xtrmjoe on 7/11/2010 & rated 91 points: My system (nose mouth finish) /++, nice not overblown chardonnay, great for food pairings, can go another 2-3 years in the cellar if I can wait that long. (1723 views) | | | Tasted by Brsed on 7/10/2010 & rated 92 points: Very nice Chard but better on the second night. Layers of fruit but with a nice crisp acidity. Not flabby or buttery in my book. (1653 views) | | | Tasted by NPWolfe on 6/21/2010: Not that anyone should have noticed - but I have taken an extended leave from writing wine reviews. (I will admit that a vanity on my part admits it would have been nice if someone had noticed, but that has no bearing on the actual absence.) I would like to say that there was some deep significance to my absence, that I was off on exploration of the anosognosic’s dilemma. But, the reality is far more mundane - circumstances just got in the way. Hopefully the desire has been rekindled to both keep track of the cellar (which is a mess) and to report on the wines I drink.
I find it ironic that the bottle I selected for my return review was flawed. Not horrible flawed, but just not what a Windy Oak Chardonnay should taste like. Just as with the last bottle I tried, the cork came out hard and dried. The wine was not undrinkable, it did have all the usual Windy Oak characteristics, it was just slightly oxidized and sour. I drank half the bottle anyway. A somewhat off bottle of Windy Oak is still a pretty nice bottle of wine. (3056 views) | | | Tasted by decaturwinedude on 5/15/2010: Last time I drank one of these (Aug) I thought it needed more time. Last night, it seemed ready to go. Some say (I used to) Windy Oaks makes wines in a Burgundian style...the more I drink Burgundy...the more I see these types of comparisons as silly. This was a nice wine, but it was Cali...all the way. Buttered popcorn nose opens to a lush and rich palate touched with oak, honey,caramel apple. Acidity is here, but I could use more. A nice Chardonnay that becomes somewhat one-dimensional with air. (1809 views) | | | Tasted by elamasters on 2/24/2010 & rated 92 points: Great Chardonnay. Beautiful balance of minerality, fruit, and acidity, framed by pleasant oak accents. The fruit character is very similar to a golden delicious apple. Mouth-filling flavors and a long finish. Based upon prior vintages, I think it should continue to improve over the next few years as the oak fades toward the background and the flavors integrate further. (1927 views) | | | Tasted by tanglenet on 2/23/2010: Quick notes: served warm and did not show well. (1882 views) | | | Tasted by lewrose@gmail.com on 1/15/2010: Delicious. (1903 views) | | | Tasted by tanglenet on 10/4/2009: Third bottle of the evening. I had just picked it up from the winery and on a whim pulled it for dinner. From memory: This was a smooth transition from the French wines.with good fruit and balance. It has less "sparkle" compared to the other two (for lack of a better word) but held it's own quite well. It actually seemed more staid, adult and serious. I have one more that I will try pretty soon to get a better feel for this wine. Good. (2195 views) | | | Tasted by NPWolfe on 9/15/2009 flawed bottle: “Quantity has a quality all its own”
Joseph Stalin
One of the nice attributes of CellarTracker is that shear quantity of reviews allow a certain kind of inference about the quality of a particular winery. In this case I am not talking about the wisdom of crowds, but rather a kind of statistical inference. You don’t have to read many reviews before you come to the realization that bottle variation is more of a problem with some wineries than others. Currently there are 313 reviews of Windy Oaks wines on CellarTracker. Of those there is only one review where there is even a hint of a flawed bottled and the reviewer was not sure in that case. Maybe one out of 313 over seven vintages indicates to me that the Jim and Judy take a great deal of care with their wine.
Which is why I was surprised to end up with a flawed bottled. The cork came out hard, dry, and a somewhat shrunk. No surprise that the wine was oxidized. Bummer, because I love their wines. (3049 views) | | | Tasted by Rob MacKay on 6/20/2009 & rated 92 points: Based on how this wine showed only a few days after bottling, I thought it best to pop one Friday afternoon, pour off just a bit (and drink that bit of course), and let the rest sit uncorked in the fridge for 24 hours. Coming to it today, it is showing right up there with the 06 in terms of quality and characteristics. Excellent crispness and fruit framed by only a slight bit of oak and no real extended butteriness through the finish. This Burgundy styled Chardonnay is one of my favorites and I'm lucky to be able to get a few bottles of this small lot production each year. (2407 views) | | | Tasted by Blue Shorts on 5/4/2009: Tasted at Windy Oaks Wine Club pickup.
I only had 2 very small tastes, but I was intrigued enough to purchase 3 bottles. The nose is a bit oaky, as pointed out by the previous poster. I agree that it should mellow and integrate with a little time on it. The taste, forgiving the oak, was beautiful. Light, fresh fruits. Good acidity and tannin levels. I can't wait to try this in a year or two.
I picked up a bottle of '05 at a local store. I can't wait to try it. A friend recommended the '06 and I was going to buy it until I saw the '05 on the shelf, so I figured that I could try the '05 and compare notes. (2398 views) | | | Tasted by Rob MacKay on 5/3/2009: Windy Oaks Open House (Windy Oaks Winery): This was just recently bottled and at the moment, it is showing a lot of oak on the nose. Has good palate presence and the oak is not super heavy but does need some time to integrate. I've got a few of these to lay down for a while and hopefully they will catch up to the 06s, which are awesome. I have no doubt it will come together nicely but it might take a little while. 13.9% abv (2836 views) |
| Windy Oaks Estate Producer websiteChardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia
Once referred to by wine writers as the Chaine d'Or -- or "golden chain" -- the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA sits above Silicon Valley, running along the craggy range next to the Pacific on some of the prettiest parts of Northern California. The area supports more than 75 wineries, despite being limited by geography and high land prices.
In 1981 the Santa Cruz Mountains Viticultural Appellation became federally recognized, one of the first American viticultural areas to be defined by geophysical and climatic factors. The appellation encompasses the Santa Cruz Mountain range, from Half Moon Bay in the north, to Mount Madonna in the south. The east and west boundaries are defined by elevation, extending down to 800 feet in the east and 400 feet in the west. |
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