November 28, 2021 - From a perfectly stored magnum this was fantastic. Rich and oily with a powerful dried apple essence. Just enough acid to keep it balanced. Much better than expected. The texture is so wonderful although clearly the fruity elements are more nuanced. No real sign of oxidation with perfect cork.
October 9, 2021 - I can't place my finger on the flaw, but there was something wrong with this bottle.
Method: pop and pour (and checked in again 2 hours later and next day); 53 degrees; Grassl Cru
Look: medium+ gold
Nose: fish/seafood counter; somewhere between seawater and pool water; light orchard fruit; very muted
Palate: lemon, nuts, tree bark; long finish of dried bay leaf, mineral; not very expressive; an odd overall off taste, but not actually offensive to me (though other's disagreed); dry; medium body; medium sour acid
I'd give this 75 points.
Overall thoughts: I haven't encountered a bottle like this yet. It didn't seem too old -- the color was quite good for such an old Chardonnay, and it didn't taste like vinegar or tired/dead. The nose was very surprising and decently off putting, although very muted. The palate wasn't really that offensive to me, but it was muted and just off -- offering no redeeming quality whatsoever. I was excited to try my first Stony Hill, but I guess I still need to try one.
August 4, 2019 - Great showing! The nose is fresh and airy with notes of orange oil, toffee, herbs, and stone. It's really a lovely nose that shows maturity and definition, and it's entirely alluring and suave. The palate is fresh and vibrant too and the acidity remains focused, although the fruit has softened and there are toffee notes. This is a truly good wine, as fine an example of 25 year old American chardonnay as I've ever had.
May 4, 2017 - Was not expecting this to show as well as it did. Was on its last leg and showed a touch of oxidation, but drank great, nice acidity, a touch of roasted nuts with lemon and apple. Tasted from magnum.
December 24, 2014 - Had at 1994 shootout at jdunlap's house. The only white of the night, served blind. Bottle was very well stored. Poured into decanter. Appeared very oxidized, medium-dark gold sherry coloring. Nose was fresh with just a little fruit left. High acidity. Very little wood, if any. I guessed old chablis. This 20 year old was way better than the other two Stony Hill chard youngsters I have had over the past couple of years. These wines age amazingly well. Very impressed.
December 23, 2014 - 1994 Smack-down consisting of one Chardonnay from Stony Hill and a total of five Pinot Noirs from: Brick House, William Selyem (Sonoma Coast), Broadley Vineyards Reserve, Ken Weight Cellars (Shea Vineyards), and Mt. Eden Vineyards. All wines were purchased upon release and stored in a cool cellar until consumed. All the wines were decanted. The red wine bottles contained sediment after years of resting undisturbed.
Ullage was excellent at round ¾”. Cork was in good shape and came out in one piece. Wine decanted to reveal a golden color – like a Sauternes with about 10 year’s of age. Yes, the nose did have a sherry-like component, but it was not a negative, instead it seemed to add to the overall complexity of the wine. Likewise, the sherry element was noticeable on the palate along with dried apple and acids providing a good counter-balance. My friend jeffreylubowski said this wine tasted like an aged Chablis. A wonderful, old CA Chardonnay unobstructed by oak (they use only old neutral oak barrels) nor complicated by the flavors of secondary fermentation (they want to maintain the crisp acids so do not want the wines to go through malolactic). Wonderful. Score 91, maybe a point higher given its longevity. Bravo!
Wine matched well with goat cheeses. Would work well with a simple baked chicken or pheasant.
June 26, 2014 - California Mavericks @ Five Sails: 13.0% abv. Yellow-gold. Ripe pear on the nose. Acidity is still noticeable, but more subtle. A bit short on the finish. Overall a more elegant wine and drinking reasonably well, but not one to seek out.
October 15, 2012 - From magnum. Cut hay, almost herbal nose. Fruit is subdued. Picking up a little more color. Leaner profile on the palate. Herbal and almost flinty. This is relatively short on the finish.
May 6, 2011 - The others were ooh'ing and ahh'ing. It was interesting, in that it wasn't oxidized and wasn't a mess of wood and no fruit, but I can't say that I was particularly taken by this wine, unless the absence of bad things is something remarkable. I looked for complexities but didn’t really note any. This has endured and not declined, but I’m not certain that it’s gotten better. To be fair, mine was the minority opinion, as other, very experience tasters loved it. Palate was too round and pillowed for me, but I did note that the acidity snuck up over time. With Brooklynguy and Bruce G. at Rothmann’s.
May 28, 2010 - Crappy Old Wines (Nazca Peruvian Restaurant, San Jose): Initially seemed very youthful; rather light weight with a sherryish hint. Of the four whites this was my least favourite.