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A Wayward Lunch That Was Supposed to be All About Central Coast Chardonnay
Santa Ynez Kitchen, Santa Ynez, CA
Tasted February 7, 2014 by JonnyG with 454 views
Introduction
A pitiful war of words among friends in the Twitterverse gave rise to this fun lunch. While the intention was to test which Central Coast Chards really shine, the three of us quickly lost focus. We did pay attention enough to confirm that SY Kitchen continues to put out the best food in the valley.
Flight 1 (5 notes)
White
2012 Denner Theresa
86 points
Pretty floral notes on the nose, but again fails to deliver. Better than the out-of-kilter 2010, but still a mystery of clashing flavors, missing a decent backbone of acidity to pull it together.
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Comment
White
2008 La Fenêtre Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard
94 points
The best bottle yet of this case, with loads of promise for further refinement with additional age. An irresistible nose of toasted marshmallow, caramel and butterscotch, yet amazingly restrained and balanced on the palate. Unanimous wine of the day.
White
2010 El Molíno Chardonnay
90 points
A well balanced and enjoyable Chardonnay, showing a lot of oak but with some balance and depth. Not for everyone. Improved as it came up in temperature, though always held back by a clipped, acidic finish.
White
2010 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills
89 points
Not very distinguished on this afternoon. Too much citrus and acid, without the necessary, offsetting depth of flavors. Probably an abnormal showing.
White
2004 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts
93 points
Just hitting its prime drinking window, as this beauty required some bottle age before strutting its stuff. Pale chiffon in appearance. An unbelievably enticing nose, with of crushed rock, saline and caraway. Al l flint & tart on the palate, deftly displaying impressive layers of restrained fruit. Killer finish too.
Closing
I was gratified to see my faith in La Fenetre validated. The unanswered question remains, "If an unfollowed Tweeter tweets in a vineyard, does it make a sound."