2013 Charles Smith Chardonnay Sixto Frenchman Hills

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 94 points

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  8/16/2019 - Somm David T Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Wow, has this wine evolved brilliantly since we had it in their Walla Walla Tasting Room.
  
  The name Sixto, if I remember correctly, is a guitarist that Charles has great fondness.
  
  The nose is ripe & vibrant. Loads of green & golden apple, Meyer lemon, overripe pineapple, lime candy, mixture of lighter tropical fruits, salted caramel, butterscotch, graham cracker, crème, light butter notes, vanillin, honeysuckle, white spice, herbal quality, beautiful volcanic minerals, spring flowers, yellow lilies and fruit blossoms.
  
  The body is rich, round & thick. It sings on the palate. Loads of green & golden apple, Meyer lemon, overripe pineapple, lime candy, caramelized pear, mixture of lighter tropical fruits, stone fruits, salted caramel, crème, light butter notes, vanillin, honeysuckle, beeswax, honeycomb, marmalade, butterscotch as it warms & opens, some brown sugar/molasses, white spice with some palate heat, herbal quality, limestone/sandstone, soft but, a good presence of woodiness, beautiful volcanic minerals, spring flowers, yellow lilies, mixed greens and fruit blossoms. The acidity is round and near perfect. The long finish is; rich, ripe, lush, well balanced fruit & earth with layered textures and persists endlessly. Beautifully, complex Chardonnay that is drinking at its peak with some good years ahead @ under $30 when I purchased it.
  
  Vineyard notes...Frenchman Hills was planted in 1998 and is about a 30-minute drive north of the Wahluke Slope, which is one of the warmest areas in the Columbia Valley. However, the Frenchman Hills Vineyard is a cooler site, partly because of its higher elevation at 1650 feet. It also does not easily frost. The limestone and broken basalt soils at the top of the vineyard were not affected by the Missoula Flood that ravaged much of Eastern Washington some 12,000 years ago. Because of the slightly cooler aspect, grapes hang longer without accumulating excessive sugar and still managing to retain beautiful acidity.

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