From magnum. Stu Smith was in Houston to accept the award for their 2019 Chardonnay (it was the second best overall in the entire show [Reserve Grand Champion]) and we met up for dinner. No extensive note here, but the wine was fantastic: Rich, unctuous, honeyed, and tart with a rather intense Meyer lemon aspect. Outanding. 94 Points.
Bold. Very tropical. Pineapple brûlée. Some kefir lime and assorted stone fruits. Still going strong and should hold up for a while longer. Wish this was lower alcohol but it's only slightly out of balance. A nice bottle to mix it up from the usual white Burgundy. Cocktail wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium golden in colour with nutty aromas & kind of a funky earthiness. On the palate, bold flavours of lemon, green apple, oak, nuttiness, spice/pepper and high acidity. ABV is slightly high at 14.3%, but the bold flavour profile, long finish & high acidity balances out this wine. Well crafted wine but not my style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Consistent with tasting notes last year - super sweet, concentrated, zingy pineapple and lemon curd set against honeysuckle, honeydew, almonds, raisins, and butterscotch, with some lime and tangerine zest mixed into the finish. Distinctive style and a distinctive vintage for this wine. Drink 2019-2022. Technical score: 92. Enjoyment score: 90.
Color - Pale straw yellow Aromas - Apple, pear, lemon curd, almond, and toasty oak with a hint of chalk. Body - Medium-bodied and impeccably balanced with very fresh with vibrant acidity Taste - Baked apple, fresh pear, lemon meringue, and key lime accented with very appealing baking spice flavors Finish - Long
100% Chardonnay from 42 year old dry-farmed vines on Spring Mountain 100% barrel fermented and raised for 9 months in 100% new French oak 850 cases produced
Finishing off a coravinned bottle. Medium to deep golden yellow. Rich nose with definite oaky influence, a bit nutty, lemon curd, and a touch of honey. Medium acidity (6/10) and medium to medium plus bodied. Layered palate with notes of baked green apples, a bit woody, pears and a little candied citrus. Medium plus to long finish. Drink till 2023.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Refreshing chardonnay that remained consistent throughout the evening. The green apple flavor was predominate along with supportive hints of lemon, almond, peach and oak with the same oily texture as previously noted. Some mineral texture also noted this time around as the wine evolves. Well made!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Medium golden yellow. Complex nose with some oak influence, notes of almonds, lemon zest, and a touch of honey. Medium acidity (6/10) and medium bodied. Interesting palate with some wood on the attack followed up by some sharper acidity before leveling out. Notes of green apples, and a little candied citrus. Medium plus to long finish. Drink till 2023.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Paired with roasted salmon and mixed veggies. Pale straw color. Nose brings honeysuckle, butterscotch, white flowers, and lemon curd. The palate is round, medium, and sweet, bringing honey, apricots, pineapple, tangerines, lemon-lime, and mineral water. The finish lingers for almost 60-seconds. Still, though the oak was well-integrated, this SM Chard vintage is sweeter than my liking (and sweeter than past vintages). It might be worth holding another year to see if the mineral/savory notes develop further to balance things out. Drink through 2024. Technical score: 92. Enjoyment score: 91.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Really nice chardonnay. We don't drink much CA chardonnay as we find much of it to be just too ponderous and not very food friendly. This wine is definitely CA and it has just a wee bit more oak than I would like, but it also has a really nice balance of flavors with adequate acidity. Some nice honey notes along with the classic chardonnay fruit, and complemented by nice acid balance. This went well with food but I also enjoyed drinking it on its own. Nicely made.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I totally agree with La Cave d' Argent that you would never ever guess this sees 100% new oak??? I had to go to the producer site to verify LCd'A had this right as the wine is exceedingly well balanced, energetic and mid weight at best. I too really enjoyed this wine and had just tasted last week at the winery too with Charlie where it might have been one rating point better :) than at home last night again. No this is not French but it's also a very unique version of CA Chardonnay too. and at $32 list a very solid value and wine with character and finesse. Can't see 93pts but its a solid 92pts for my palate. Glad I enjoyed the wine as I love the Cabs Charlie makes and he's a hoot to visit with!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Napa Valley Wine and Food Excursion 2017; 11/7/2017-11/11/2017 (Napa Valley, California): From 42-year-old estate vines, the '14 version of Smith-Madrone's Chardonnay was 100% barrel fermented and aged for nine months in 100% new French oak. Knowing this in advance of sampling the wine, I was ready to cringe upon tasting another New World "oak plank" Chardonnay. From the first sniff and taste, I knew that my preconceived impression was entirely incorrect. This straw-colored wine has the perfect amount of oak to complement its pit fruit, orange zest, lavender, crushed rock and Asian spice aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, fresh, seamlessly alcoholic (listed as 14.3%) and gorgeously balanced, it has impressive mid-palate density and finishes with good length. This wine's mountain-grown, northern exposure grapes have clearly been able to handle the oak exposure with no problem. This is a well-crafted Chardonnay with the fruit and structure to show well for several more years. Drink now-2024.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Sunfish Cellars and Korean food with Charles (Sunfish Cellars / Hoban): Drank a small pour at a tasting. This wine seemed like a perfectly acceptable California chardonnay, it just did not stand out. Perhaps a larger pour and more evaluation is needed, but a small tasting pour didn't have much going on.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Clear medium gold color. Complex aromas of butterscotch, saltwater taffy, oyster shell, white pepper, acacia, slate, lime zest and pear. Layered and complex palate, with sumptuous fruit and seamless secondary depth consistent with the nose. Silky medium-to-full body with fleshy mid-palate structure, medium-plus acid, finishing with ample and full depth and length. Fantastic. Drink/hold.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Oh, this is good stuff! Served chilled and aerated over two days. Yellow gold in the glass. Apricot and lemon on the nose. Flavors of peach, pear, apple, almond and vanilla. Rich, pure, round and creamy. A mineral core that is crisp and oily with a slight hint of oak. Expressive, medium long finish. Excellent drinking now but will cellar for years to come, offering increased complexity for those who are patient. Stock up!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Just drank this tonight with lobster, clarified butter and corn on the cob, and was kind of stunned by how good it was. Never tried the producer's wines, but have heard a lot of good things, which were warranted!
It is so beautifully balanced between the ripeness of fruit, creamy texture, ample structure, integration of oak, medium-plus acidity and a finish which is not at all cloying, but rather reminds me of wet stones. In some ways, it reminded my wife and I of one of the best South African Chardonnays we can remember tasting (from our honeymoon there a number of years ago): Quartz Stone from Glen Carlou. Brilliant wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Light golden; aromatic, rich, toasty oak, tropical fruit; palate is full bodied, comes across as a tad RS, medium balanced acidity, fades a bit through the finish; medium finish. Overall this is a ripe but balanced California chardonnay, perhaps lost just a tad bit of freshness since my last bottle in April. Still excellent, but this is not a bottle to age for a decade. 90
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Smith-Madrone tasting visit 7/1/17: Showing mineral aromas and flavors, citrus zest, white pepper, and dusty spices- complex throughout. Lean, silky structure, with bright acidity, and an ample finish. Excellent.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Another solid showing for this wine, which is a great value in California chardonnay; Slightly tropical notes on the nose and palate, with a deft touch of oak are nicely balanced by a thread of acidity that runs through the wine
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Coravin 3/14/17: Golden color; nose is aromatic, butterscotch, flinty gunsmoke; palate is full bodied, tropical fruit that is ripe but not overripe, rich creamy texture, medium acidity that gives the wine great freshness; medium finish. Californian in style (rich texture and tropical fruits) but impeccably balanced and with plenty of complexity throughout, and extraordinarily easy to drink by itself or with food. For the price, this is a wonderful value. 91+ 3/19: Tried again, open for 1 day this time. Still a lovely ripe tropical fruit nose with excellent creaminess and texture on the palate, nice acidity, but has lost a bit of character with a day of air. This is maybe a wine to drink over the next 1-3 years, not one to age. 90 today.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The nose dazzles with banana, oak, lemon-lime Sprite, and vanilla bean with nice streaks of flint and smoky white pepper. Super engaging profile. The palate is full with a glycerin sensation but avoids becoming cloying by offering a fine balance of bright acidity, slight grainy tannin and honeyed fruit. The flavors feature Meyer lemon, pineapple, tart Starfruit, nectarine, cider, saline, tarragon, slate and just a bit of chili flake kick. This is top shelf chardonnay at a fantastic value.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bachelor Party trip to Napa/Sonoma (Sonoma, Napa, SF): Medium yellow in the glass. Ripe yellow apple and Meyer lemon, with some noble reduction (hint of struck match), and some lemon curd / buttercream oak influence. Just a hint of spice from the oak, but very well integrated. Dry, medium bodied, classically elevated alcohol - feels around 13.5%-14%, and very nice elevated acidity. Long evolving finish of ripe lemon, hints of vanilla, and sunny apple notes. Kissed by sun, but still 'nervoux'.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Smith-Madrone: Light gold color. Bursts with aromas of lime, orange, peach, dusted with chalk, and there’s definitely a good amount of wood in here, some nougat and honeycomb. Medium/light-bodied (12.8% alcohol) with lovely creaminess and precise acidity. Tart lime and nectarine mixes with yellow apples and rich peaches, and the fruit blends wonderfully with notes of chalk dust, mineral, white tea, and the toasted wood and almond cake notes are woven in very nicely. Long, lingering, delicious finish. This is always a very good Chardonnay, ditto for the 2014 vintage. Fermented and aged 9 months in all new French oak.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
I really enjoyed this, which did a great job of balancing some richness and creaminess from the oak treatment, with a solid mineral core and plenty of acidity on the finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
2/23/2024 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine: 94 Points
From magnum. Stu Smith was in Houston to accept the award for their 2019 Chardonnay (it was the second best overall in the entire show [Reserve Grand Champion]) and we met up for dinner. No extensive note here, but the wine was fantastic: Rich, unctuous, honeyed, and tart with a rather intense Meyer lemon aspect. Outanding. 94 Points.
www.thedrunkencyclist.com
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2023 - d'Yquembe Mutombo wrote: 88 Points
Bold. Very tropical. Pineapple brûlée. Some kefir lime and assorted stone fruits. Still going strong and should hold up for a while longer. Wish this was lower alcohol but it's only slightly out of balance. A nice bottle to mix it up from the usual white Burgundy. Cocktail wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/28/2021 - pkouchu wrote: 92 Points
lemon, lime peel, yellow apple, toasted almonds, white florals, crushed rocks, and tropical stone fruit
always a +1 for the respect of not pulling these out and planting cab.
bigger palate, definitely californian made. well priced too.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/21/2020 - CDT Likes this wine: 89 Points
Medium golden in colour with nutty aromas & kind of a funky earthiness.
On the palate, bold flavours of lemon, green apple, oak, nuttiness, spice/pepper and high acidity. ABV is slightly high at 14.3%, but the bold flavour profile, long finish & high acidity balances out this wine.
Well crafted wine but not my style.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/23/2019 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consistent with tasting notes last year - super sweet, concentrated, zingy pineapple and lemon curd set against honeysuckle, honeydew, almonds, raisins, and butterscotch, with some lime and tangerine zest mixed into the finish. Distinctive style and a distinctive vintage for this wine. Drink 2019-2022. Technical score: 92. Enjoyment score: 90.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1)
4/24/2019 - Levinsb wrote:
One bottle was badly corked, the other was pale pear and lemon, lime , vibrant acidity and some distant dried pineapple flavors.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2018 - Martin Redmond Likes this wine: 91 Points
Color - Pale straw yellow
Aromas - Apple, pear, lemon curd, almond, and toasty oak with a hint of chalk.
Body - Medium-bodied and impeccably balanced with very fresh with vibrant acidity
Taste - Baked apple, fresh pear, lemon meringue, and key lime accented with very appealing baking spice flavors
Finish - Long
100% Chardonnay from 42 year old dry-farmed vines on Spring Mountain 100% barrel fermented and raised for 9 months in 100% new French oak 850 cases produced
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1)
9/9/2018 - SpoochMan wrote:
Party for Jenni. No notes.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/11/2018 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 93 Points
Continues to build on complexity and wonderfulness
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2)
4/11/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 90 Points
Finishing off a coravinned bottle. Medium to deep golden yellow. Rich nose with definite oaky influence, a bit nutty, lemon curd, and a touch of honey. Medium acidity (6/10) and medium to medium plus bodied. Layered palate with notes of baked green apples, a bit woody, pears and a little candied citrus. Medium plus to long finish. Drink till 2023.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2018 - Tahlequahdave1972 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Refreshing chardonnay that remained consistent throughout the evening. The green apple flavor was predominate along with supportive hints of lemon, almond, peach and oak with the same oily texture as previously noted. Some mineral texture also noted this time around as the wine evolves. Well made!
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/13/2018 - The Wine Write Likes this wine: 91 Points
PNP, drank over 2 nights. Attractive tropical fruit aromatics. Silky smooth texture, bright fruit, and a finish that pops. Nice.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/9/2018 - Mneumeier wrote: 90 Points
Drinking excellently right now. Will continue to drink fine over the next few years.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/9/2018 - 1961Vintage wrote: 93 Points
Yes, its better than great.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2018 - Millennial Drinkers wrote: 90 Points
Medium golden yellow. Complex nose with some oak influence, notes of almonds, lemon zest, and a touch of honey. Medium acidity (6/10) and medium bodied. Interesting palate with some wood on the attack followed up by some sharper acidity before leveling out. Notes of green apples, and a little candied citrus. Medium plus to long finish. Drink till 2023.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2018 - jlhkiss Likes this wine: 91 Points
Paired with roasted salmon and mixed veggies. Pale straw color. Nose brings honeysuckle, butterscotch, white flowers, and lemon curd. The palate is round, medium, and sweet, bringing honey, apricots, pineapple, tangerines, lemon-lime, and mineral water. The finish lingers for almost 60-seconds. Still, though the oak was well-integrated, this SM Chard vintage is sweeter than my liking (and sweeter than past vintages). It might be worth holding another year to see if the mineral/savory notes develop further to balance things out. Drink through 2024. Technical score: 92. Enjoyment score: 91.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/25/2017 - SpoochMan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really nice chardonnay. We don't drink much CA chardonnay as we find much of it to be just too ponderous and not very food friendly. This wine is definitely CA and it has just a wee bit more oak than I would like, but it also has a really nice balance of flavors with adequate acidity. Some nice honey notes along with the classic chardonnay fruit, and complemented by nice acid balance. This went well with food but I also enjoyed drinking it on its own. Nicely made.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2017 - chablis28 wrote: 92 Points
I totally agree with La Cave d' Argent that you would never ever guess this sees 100% new oak??? I had to go to the producer site to verify LCd'A had this right as the wine is exceedingly well balanced, energetic and mid weight at best. I too really enjoyed this wine and had just tasted last week at the winery too with Charlie where it might have been one rating point better :) than at home last night again. No this is not French but it's also a very unique version of CA Chardonnay too. and at $32 list a very solid value and wine with character and finesse. Can't see 93pts but its a solid 92pts for my palate. Glad I enjoyed the wine as I love the Cabs Charlie makes and he's a hoot to visit with!
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/8/2017 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 93 Points
Napa Valley Wine and Food Excursion 2017; 11/7/2017-11/11/2017 (Napa Valley, California): From 42-year-old estate vines, the '14 version of Smith-Madrone's Chardonnay was 100% barrel fermented and aged for nine months in 100% new French oak. Knowing this in advance of sampling the wine, I was ready to cringe upon tasting another New World "oak plank" Chardonnay. From the first sniff and taste, I knew that my preconceived impression was entirely incorrect. This straw-colored wine has the perfect amount of oak to complement its pit fruit, orange zest, lavender, crushed rock and Asian spice aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, fresh, seamlessly alcoholic (listed as 14.3%) and gorgeously balanced, it has impressive mid-palate density and finishes with good length. This wine's mountain-grown, northern exposure grapes have clearly been able to handle the oak exposure with no problem. This is a well-crafted Chardonnay with the fruit and structure to show well for several more years. Drink now-2024.
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/1/2017 - galewskj wrote: 89 Points
Sunfish Cellars and Korean food with Charles (Sunfish Cellars / Hoban): Drank a small pour at a tasting. This wine seemed like a perfectly acceptable California chardonnay, it just did not stand out. Perhaps a larger pour and more evaluation is needed, but a small tasting pour didn't have much going on.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/30/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 90 Points
Sunfish Cellars Fall Tasting (Sunfish Cellars, St. Paul, MN): Tasting pour. Juicy styled, ripe fruits, full bodied, oak, medium bodied. Tasty.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/22/2017 - MattMauldin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Clear medium gold color. Complex aromas of butterscotch, saltwater taffy, oyster shell, white pepper, acacia, slate, lime zest and pear. Layered and complex palate, with sumptuous fruit and seamless secondary depth consistent with the nose. Silky medium-to-full body with fleshy mid-palate structure, medium-plus acid, finishing with ample and full depth and length. Fantastic. Drink/hold.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/31/2017 - Tahlequahdave1972 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Oh, this is good stuff! Served chilled and aerated over two days. Yellow gold in the glass. Apricot and lemon on the nose. Flavors of peach, pear, apple, almond and vanilla. Rich, pure, round and creamy. A mineral core that is crisp and oily with a slight hint of oak. Expressive, medium long finish. Excellent drinking now but will cellar for years to come, offering increased complexity for those who are patient. Stock up!
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/16/2017 - Nojomoschwa Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just drank this tonight with lobster, clarified butter and corn on the cob, and was kind of stunned by how good it was. Never tried the producer's wines, but have heard a lot of good things, which were warranted!
It is so beautifully balanced between the ripeness of fruit, creamy texture, ample structure, integration of oak, medium-plus acidity and a finish which is not at all cloying, but rather reminds me of wet stones. In some ways, it reminded my wife and I of one of the best South African Chardonnays we can remember tasting (from our honeymoon there a number of years ago): Quartz Stone from Glen Carlou. Brilliant wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/1/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
Light golden; aromatic, rich, toasty oak, tropical fruit; palate is full bodied, comes across as a tad RS, medium balanced acidity, fades a bit through the finish; medium finish. Overall this is a ripe but balanced California chardonnay, perhaps lost just a tad bit of freshness since my last bottle in April. Still excellent, but this is not a bottle to age for a decade. 90
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
7/10/2017 - Skewes Wine wrote: 94 Points
Moved upstairs
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/3/2017 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:
Smith-Madrone tasting visit 7/1/17: Showing mineral aromas and flavors, citrus zest, white pepper, and dusty spices- complex throughout. Lean, silky structure, with bright acidity, and an ample finish. Excellent.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
6/6/2017 - eluebchow wrote: 90 Points
Another solid showing for this wine, which is a great value in California chardonnay; Slightly tropical notes on the nose and palate, with a deft touch of oak are nicely balanced by a thread of acidity that runs through the wine
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Coravin 3/14/17: Golden color; nose is aromatic, butterscotch, flinty gunsmoke; palate is full bodied, tropical fruit that is ripe but not overripe, rich creamy texture, medium acidity that gives the wine great freshness; medium finish. Californian in style (rich texture and tropical fruits) but impeccably balanced and with plenty of complexity throughout, and extraordinarily easy to drink by itself or with food. For the price, this is a wonderful value. 91+
3/19: Tried again, open for 1 day this time. Still a lovely ripe tropical fruit nose with excellent creaminess and texture on the palate, nice acidity, but has lost a bit of character with a day of air. This is maybe a wine to drink over the next 1-3 years, not one to age. 90 today.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/14/2017 - goodvitis.com wrote: 93 Points
The nose dazzles with banana, oak, lemon-lime Sprite, and vanilla bean with nice streaks of flint and smoky white pepper. Super engaging profile. The palate is full with a glycerin sensation but avoids becoming cloying by offering a fine balance of bright acidity, slight grainy tannin and honeyed fruit. The flavors feature Meyer lemon, pineapple, tart Starfruit, nectarine, cider, saline, tarragon, slate and just a bit of chili flake kick. This is top shelf chardonnay at a fantastic value.
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 91 Points
Bachelor party (Napa Valley, CA): Smoky, stony, very nice; palate is full bodied, ripe white fruit, nice body, smooth; medium finish. Lovely. 90-91
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2017 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 88 Points
Bachelor Party trip to Napa/Sonoma (Sonoma, Napa, SF): Medium yellow in the glass. Ripe yellow apple and Meyer lemon, with some noble reduction (hint of struck match), and some lemon curd / buttercream oak influence. Just a hint of spice from the oak, but very well integrated.
Dry, medium bodied, classically elevated alcohol - feels around 13.5%-14%, and very nice elevated acidity. Long evolving finish of ripe lemon, hints of vanilla, and sunny apple notes.
Kissed by sun, but still 'nervoux'.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/5/2017 - 1961Vintage Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic SM Chard! Will never tire of drinking these wines.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/3/2017 - isaacjamesbaker wrote: 92 Points
Smith-Madrone: Light gold color. Bursts with aromas of lime, orange, peach, dusted with chalk, and there’s definitely a good amount of wood in here, some nougat and honeycomb. Medium/light-bodied (12.8% alcohol) with lovely creaminess and precise acidity. Tart lime and nectarine mixes with yellow apples and rich peaches, and the fruit blends wonderfully with notes of chalk dust, mineral, white tea, and the toasted wood and almond cake notes are woven in very nicely. Long, lingering, delicious finish. This is always a very good Chardonnay, ditto for the 2014 vintage. Fermented and aged 9 months in all new French oak.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/5/2016 - eluebchow wrote: 92 Points
I really enjoyed this, which did a great job of balancing some richness and creaminess from the oak treatment, with a solid mineral core and plenty of acidity on the finish
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment