As usual I drank through these way too soon, as the final bottle was just getting to a more developed and complex state. Still rapier sharp, with a hint of spice, the core of the wine remained its dense citrus fruit and mineral water base. The stone spirit of Chablis with a decided California perspective, the wines says “Hyde” but with an accent.
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This lively and transfixing Chardonnay is incredible at the $50 price point. To be clear, I am a fan of almost all things Massican: to deliver lively and original white wines, at the $30-ish price point, within Northern California, deserves nothing but praise. That said, the only wine I've hesitated on has been the Hyde, since my preferences for Chardonnay trend more fulsome than lean (read: yes to Aubert and Peter Michael, no to Arnot-Roberts and Ceritas... so please feel free to quit reading now if your preferences do not align with mine... "cancel" me!... since this note is worth what you paid for it).
OK... still here?
This wine is awesome, lean but full, in a way that makes me think Dan has hit his stride with this vineyard. If you want cedar chips, caramel macchiato, and tropical pineapple, look elsewhere, but this is among the best of the lean Chardonnays I've tasted recently. Aromas of wet grass, golden delicious apple, and orange peel, the wine is light yellow in color and medium in body. Flavors of lemon curd, green apple (yup, it smells broad and tastes lean), and shaved praline, followed by a tangy and pleasant finish. 12.7% alcohol. This wine doesn't try to prove a point, but it does so nonetheless: purity, balance, flavor, value... it's all there, a fact to which attention must be paid. Drink in next few years.
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This is a really balanced Chardonnay. A good combination between yellow fruit and acidic minerality, this Chardonnay delivers something important to the two major types of Chardonnay lovers. For the ones expecting the punchy yellow fruit, this one gives a hint of banana, some apricot and herbs but then gives an acidic and citrus type of balance with lemon and asian pear with excellent salinity. This one was consumed alone, but probably would have gone much better with something (dehydrated fruits, cheese, nuts, or a combo). Delicious, and seems to depict the versatility in many sides of Hyde fruit! Drink now or you can definitely hold this for 5 years or so.
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This has got to be one of my first 2018s to open, and while I’d normally refrain even if for only a bit longer, this producer has piqued my interest too much. Accolades are great and all, but many fellow winemakers have spoken highly of Dan’s project, which is enough reason to open and see how this is showing.
Normally for my palate, Hyde Chardonnay’s show a lot of bright stone fruit with high acidity (ex: Aubert’s Larry Hyde & Sons...plenty of acidity, lighter style, big fruit up front). Dan has taken Hyde’s fruit and put it front and center. Everything about this wine is about the vineyard. Crystalline and pure. On the nose, it is very ripe without being boozy...grilled lemon, lemon-lime tart, even some kiwi, with floral honeysuckle and sea salt. The palate reveals such an intense expression of the fruit with hardly any notice of oak. This has a strong mineral core and high acidity type backbone, but the mid palate and finish show plenty of ripe lemon, powdered lemon bar tart type flavors. 12.7ABV! Nothing sweet, rich or flabby about this wine. Not sure how it ages, but very enjoyable.
About a year since my last bottle, and this has unfurled in a gorgeous way. It’s all orange zest and lemon cream, with an expansive, almost oily finish that carries a salty intensity and a bit of spice from the new oak elevage. Love the intensity and the refreshment value from the bright acidity. Excellent rendition of Hyde.
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Mouth: Juicy notes of golden apple and some white peach come through amidst flashes of chalk, white flower, and a bit of vanilla extract, fading quickly. Etched in acid keeps this fresh. Easy on the palate, good balance, a good summer sipper.
Overall: Nice floral aromatics, splashy and friendly. This is cute, and it's easy to see the Italian influence. A good summer sipper and plays well with food. It's to its credit that it's not going the overly buttery/rich route.
I disagree with the other poster that this has additional runway to develop in the cellar - it's just not that kind of wine. Drink now through 2023. 100% Chardonnay.
88.
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The nose was holding back at first, yet with time in the glass opened to reveal crisp green apple, sweet herbs, hints of moist soil, crushed stone minerality and a hint of citrus. On the palate, I found soft, enveloping textures, giving way to mineral-infused orchard fruits, with hints of lemon and brisk acids, which created a mouth watering sensation. The finish was long and remarkably fresh with vibrant acids, lemony citrus and mineral tones lingering on and on.
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Lighter and less sweet than I expected, which is a good thing. Sharp acidity, focused and tasty: Lemon pulp, light pine needle essence, yellow plum. Immediately accessible even though it's a 2018. Very nice!
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From vines planted in 1992, the 2018 Massican Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay is a direct window into grape and place. Dan Petroski handles the grapes a little bit differently than in some other Hyde chardonnays, with larger oak barrels (300 liter versus 225 liter), made with less aggressive wood that sees a lighter toast than sometimes used for Chardonnay. The wine does not go through malolactic fermentation, so it has a laser-like focus, with fresh, crisp fruit tones, and a mouthwatering, salty palate presence. The oak is not noticeable, expect for a bit of richness on the finish. It’s interesting to contrast this rendition of Hyde with something such as David Ramey’s version, which does go through malolactic and sees a more typical oak regimen. The Massican is the better wine for summer, and also for more basic preparations (someone bring me a plate of oysters), whereas the Ramey would suit a richer prep. I love the contrasts, and am happy to own both. The 2018 Massican has the depth for a number of years in the cellar, and that should cause it to unfold a bit, but it’s still a great pleasure to drink now.
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9/29/2022 - Rieslingfan wrote:
As usual I drank through these way too soon, as the final bottle was just getting to a more developed and complex state. Still rapier sharp, with a hint of spice, the core of the wine remained its dense citrus fruit and mineral water base. The stone spirit of Chablis with a decided California perspective, the wines says “Hyde” but with an accent.
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2/10/2022 - msuwine wrote: 94 Points
This lively and transfixing Chardonnay is incredible at the $50 price point. To be clear, I am a fan of almost all things Massican: to deliver lively and original white wines, at the $30-ish price point, within Northern California, deserves nothing but praise. That said, the only wine I've hesitated on has been the Hyde, since my preferences for Chardonnay trend more fulsome than lean (read: yes to Aubert and Peter Michael, no to Arnot-Roberts and Ceritas... so please feel free to quit reading now if your preferences do not align with mine... "cancel" me!... since this note is worth what you paid for it).
OK... still here?
This wine is awesome, lean but full, in a way that makes me think Dan has hit his stride with this vineyard. If you want cedar chips, caramel macchiato, and tropical pineapple, look elsewhere, but this is among the best of the lean Chardonnays I've tasted recently. Aromas of wet grass, golden delicious apple, and orange peel, the wine is light yellow in color and medium in body. Flavors of lemon curd, green apple (yup, it smells broad and tastes lean), and shaved praline, followed by a tangy and pleasant finish. 12.7% alcohol. This wine doesn't try to prove a point, but it does so nonetheless: purity, balance, flavor, value... it's all there, a fact to which attention must be paid. Drink in next few years.
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4/20/2021 - mflesh wrote: 93 Points
This is a really balanced Chardonnay. A good combination between yellow fruit and acidic minerality, this Chardonnay delivers something important to the two major types of Chardonnay lovers. For the ones expecting the punchy yellow fruit, this one gives a hint of banana, some apricot and herbs but then gives an acidic and citrus type of balance with lemon and asian pear with excellent salinity. This one was consumed alone, but probably would have gone much better with something (dehydrated fruits, cheese, nuts, or a combo). Delicious, and seems to depict the versatility in many sides of Hyde fruit! Drink now or you can definitely hold this for 5 years or so.
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4/18/2021 - Shay.Aldriedge Likes this wine: 92 Points
This has got to be one of my first 2018s to open, and while I’d normally refrain even if for only a bit longer, this producer has piqued my interest too much. Accolades are great and all, but many fellow winemakers have spoken highly of Dan’s project, which is enough reason to open and see how this is showing.
Normally for my palate, Hyde Chardonnay’s show a lot of bright stone fruit with high acidity (ex: Aubert’s Larry Hyde & Sons...plenty of acidity, lighter style, big fruit up front). Dan has taken Hyde’s fruit and put it front and center. Everything about this wine is about the vineyard. Crystalline and pure. On the nose, it is very ripe without being boozy...grilled lemon, lemon-lime tart, even some kiwi, with floral honeysuckle and sea salt. The palate reveals such an intense expression of the fruit with hardly any notice of oak. This has a strong mineral core and high acidity type backbone, but the mid palate and finish show plenty of ripe lemon, powdered lemon bar tart type flavors. 12.7ABV! Nothing sweet, rich or flabby about this wine. Not sure how it ages, but very enjoyable.
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7/6/2020 - Rieslingfan wrote:
About a year since my last bottle, and this has unfurled in a gorgeous way. It’s all orange zest and lemon cream, with an expansive, almost oily finish that carries a salty intensity and a bit of spice from the new oak elevage. Love the intensity and the refreshment value from the bright acidity. Excellent rendition of Hyde.
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12/2/2019 - RoyaltyCoins wrote: 88 Points
Medium straw, gold highlights.
Nose: Faint butter notes, elderflower, light lemon zest. Delicately projected.
Mouth: Juicy notes of golden apple and some white peach come through amidst flashes of chalk, white flower, and a bit of vanilla extract, fading quickly. Etched in acid keeps this fresh. Easy on the palate, good balance, a good summer sipper.
Overall: Nice floral aromatics, splashy and friendly. This is cute, and it's easy to see the Italian influence. A good summer sipper and plays well with food. It's to its credit that it's not going the overly buttery/rich route.
I disagree with the other poster that this has additional runway to develop in the cellar - it's just not that kind of wine. Drink now through 2023. 100% Chardonnay.
88.
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8/20/2019 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 92 Points
The nose was holding back at first, yet with time in the glass opened to reveal crisp green apple, sweet herbs, hints of moist soil, crushed stone minerality and a hint of citrus. On the palate, I found soft, enveloping textures, giving way to mineral-infused orchard fruits, with hints of lemon and brisk acids, which created a mouth watering sensation. The finish was long and remarkably fresh with vibrant acids, lemony citrus and mineral tones lingering on and on.
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8/18/2019 - huevosconvino Likes this wine:
Lighter and less sweet than I expected, which is a good thing. Sharp acidity, focused and tasty: Lemon pulp, light pine needle essence, yellow plum. Immediately accessible even though it's a 2018. Very nice!
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7/25/2019 - Rieslingfan wrote:
From vines planted in 1992, the 2018 Massican Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay is a direct window into grape and place. Dan Petroski handles the grapes a little bit differently than in some other Hyde chardonnays, with larger oak barrels (300 liter versus 225 liter), made with less aggressive wood that sees a lighter toast than sometimes used for Chardonnay. The wine does not go through malolactic fermentation, so it has a laser-like focus, with fresh, crisp fruit tones, and a mouthwatering, salty palate presence. The oak is not noticeable, expect for a bit of richness on the finish. It’s interesting to contrast this rendition of Hyde with something such as David Ramey’s version, which does go through malolactic and sees a more typical oak regimen. The Massican is the better wine for summer, and also for more basic preparations (someone bring me a plate of oysters), whereas the Ramey would suit a richer prep. I love the contrasts, and am happy to own both. The 2018 Massican has the depth for a number of years in the cellar, and that should cause it to unfold a bit, but it’s still a great pleasure to drink now.
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