A lovely reductive note on the nose, but this is focused and ready for business on the palate. Lengthy finish that I am still tasting as I type this. I would love to put a bottle of this blind into a lineup of premier cru Chablis 😜👍🍷
Shoot.. another chance to try this, and another chance to kick myself for not buying into this when it was offered as a one off. Probably one of the most approachable and best drinking Chards WS has made. I'll just recycle my prior note "Pineapple and pear, peach, lemon rind. The nose kept on going in waves, and the palate didn't disappoint with bright lively acidity, balanced with density and depth".
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I bought a case of this, and can honestly say that at this point, I should have gotten two. I have tried most of the 2018 Walter Scott Chardonnay lineup, and this may be the best drinking wine of the bunch at this time. Good acidity, ripe white fruits on the palate, just plain delicious.
2018 Walter Scott Chardonnay The Rock Salt - This is the best under $30 chardonnay you'll find.. Domestic most definitely, if not in the world. To be fair it was a special bottling that was sold for a special purpose, so I doubt we're finding more of these at the price, but dang was it good. Knowing it was a Walter Scott, i gave it plenty of air, and it was expressive from the beginning. Pineapple and pear, peach, lemon rind. The nose kept on going in waves, and the palate didn't disappoint with bright lively acidity, balanced with density and depth. Probably never to be seen again, but it was good while it lasted..
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You know, if you haven't tried Chardonnay from Oregon recently, you are missing the boat here. Not sure where I would rank this in the Walter Scott hierarchy, but from the le Combe Verte right through X-Novo, these guys know what they are doing with this grape.
This has a light reductive note on the nose, like matchstick. On the palate, tart white fruit and a lengthy finish.
For all the folks looking for a white Burgundy substitute because of premox, we've found it in Oregon.
Sharing the same bottle of wine with friends - Covid 19 style: I opened the wine around 2pm for our 8:30pm consumption. Normally I’d try to be as gentle as possibly when distributing the wines into the 5oz glass but for this I poured it fairly aggressively into a funnel to try and let in as much oxygen as possible. Even then it wasn’t until the second pour around 9:30-10pm where the wine exploded. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ On the first pour it started highly acidic with vast amounts of lemon peel and citrus juice. But on the second pour the wine lengthens, suddenly that sharp citric note turns into deep wide swaths of pear and peach with just an underlying hint of lemon rind. The wine coats the mouth with that crystal clear white orchard fruit with cool acidity propping up the backbone. The richness of the fruit blows deep into the finish. I don’t think I’ve had a young chardonnay anywhere near this price point with the weight this wine had. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Wish I got more than a 6 pack (especially with everyone begging me for a btl 😅) but @walterscottwines did graciously bless this gentle soul with a magnum!
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My first time trying this, which I think is some kind of a private label thing that they did for someone, although I may be mixing that up with the 12 East 12 bottling. Not too clear on the back story for this bottle.
Crisp nose with a citric scent that is reminiscent of Chablis, and a reductive matchstick note as well.
Light-bodied and brisk on the palate; good acidity for lift. Pretty tasty - without knowing what Walter Scott was trying to do here, I would say that this bottle is more coiled than the Cuvee Anne I tried last week, but more accessible than the Seven Springs. I will enjoy tracking this wine over the next 5 or so years.
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This one is coiled tight in a significant way. This note was written on Day 3. Wine evolved and opened over three days, but this is just a baby.
Its pale gold in the glass and bright, but not as brilliantly clear as the '17 Walter Scott 12 east 12 sitting next to it. The nose is wet rocks, light citrus, with a layer of flinty goodness. The palate is lean citrus, minerals, flint again, hint of yeast? and sharp acidity. Great medium mouthfeel, and the finish is quite long and dominated by the acidity. Only the slightest hint of oak on the nose and don't get any on the palate. Overall, right in my style zone for chardonnay. This one reminds me more of the X-Novo than any of their other Chardonnays. The rock salt is brighter and more acidic and maybe just more tensioned than X-Novo. It's a very refined and delicious wine. Kudos to the folks at Walter Scott for sharing some stash.
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Pop and pour. Nice aromas of lemon/lime/brine that built over time. I liked the palate a lot - tons of energy with nice citrus and flint notes. Will probably give my next bottle 1 hour of air before getting after it.
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1/27/2024 - Bob H wrote:
From a bottle opened last night.
A lovely reductive note on the nose, but this is focused and ready for business on the palate. Lengthy finish that I am still tasting as I type this. I would love to put a bottle of this blind into a lineup of premier cru Chablis 😜👍🍷
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2/23/2021 - mye wrote:
Shoot.. another chance to try this, and another chance to kick myself for not buying into this when it was offered as a one off. Probably one of the most approachable and best drinking Chards WS has made. I'll just recycle my prior note "Pineapple and pear, peach, lemon rind. The nose kept on going in waves, and the palate didn't disappoint with bright lively acidity, balanced with density and depth".
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9/15/2020 - Bob H wrote:
I bought a case of this, and can honestly say that at this point, I should have gotten two. I have tried most of the 2018 Walter Scott Chardonnay lineup, and this may be the best drinking wine of the bunch at this time. Good acidity, ripe white fruits on the palate, just plain delicious.
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9/2/2020 - Bakerbd Likes this wine: 95 Points
Matchstick, lemon-lime, orchard fruit, mineral, intense. Outrageous QPR
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6/21/2020 - Seanwsmithm3 wrote:
A trio of Domestic Chardonnay; 6/18/2020-6/23/2020 (Sean's House in the Santa Cruz Mountains): 2nd bottle of the Rock Salt. As good as the first. Tight and reductive upon PNP. Opens up after a few hours. Dirty and Delicous is a really good way. (This wine was not fined nor filtered and you can tell). Lemon, hint of line, and melon, great acidity, minerality and length.
Erica did confirm on the Zoom that this is the library stash of 2018 Cuvee Viticole. Nice Juice.
Happy Fathers Day to All!
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5/7/2020 - mye Likes this wine:
2018 Walter Scott Chardonnay The Rock Salt - This is the best under $30 chardonnay you'll find.. Domestic most definitely, if not in the world. To be fair it was a special bottling that was sold for a special purpose, so I doubt we're finding more of these at the price, but dang was it good. Knowing it was a Walter Scott, i gave it plenty of air, and it was expressive from the beginning. Pineapple and pear, peach, lemon rind. The nose kept on going in waves, and the palate didn't disappoint with bright lively acidity, balanced with density and depth. Probably never to be seen again, but it was good while it lasted..
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5/2/2020 - Bob H wrote:
From a bottle opened yesterday.
You know, if you haven't tried Chardonnay from Oregon recently, you are missing the boat here. Not sure where I would rank this in the Walter Scott hierarchy, but from the le Combe Verte right through X-Novo, these guys know what they are doing with this grape.
This has a light reductive note on the nose, like matchstick. On the palate, tart white fruit and a lengthy finish.
For all the folks looking for a white Burgundy substitute because of premox, we've found it in Oregon.
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4/16/2020 - clayfu wrote:
Sharing the same bottle of wine with friends - Covid 19 style: I opened the wine around 2pm for our 8:30pm consumption. Normally I’d try to be as gentle as possibly when distributing the wines into the 5oz glass but for this I poured it fairly aggressively into a funnel to try and let in as much oxygen as possible. Even then it wasn’t until the second pour around 9:30-10pm where the wine exploded.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
On the first pour it started highly acidic with vast amounts of lemon peel and citrus juice. But on the second pour the wine lengthens, suddenly that sharp citric note turns into deep wide swaths of pear and peach with just an underlying hint of lemon rind. The wine coats the mouth with that crystal clear white orchard fruit with cool acidity propping up the backbone. The richness of the fruit blows deep into the finish. I don’t think I’ve had a young chardonnay anywhere near this price point with the weight this wine had.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Wish I got more than a 6 pack (especially with everyone begging me for a btl 😅) but @walterscottwines did graciously bless this gentle soul with a magnum!
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3/28/2020 - Bakerbd Likes this wine: 93 Points
Intense citrus and saline
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3/26/2020 - Bob H wrote:
My first time trying this, which I think is some kind of a private label thing that they did for someone, although I may be mixing that up with the 12 East 12 bottling. Not too clear on the back story for this bottle.
Crisp nose with a citric scent that is reminiscent of Chablis, and a reductive matchstick note as well.
Light-bodied and brisk on the palate; good acidity for lift. Pretty tasty - without knowing what Walter Scott was trying to do here, I would say that this bottle is more coiled than the Cuvee Anne I tried last week, but more accessible than the Seven Springs. I will enjoy tracking this wine over the next 5 or so years.
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3/24/2020 - Seanwsmithm3 wrote:
This one is coiled tight in a significant way. This note was written on Day 3. Wine evolved and opened over three days, but this is just a baby.
Its pale gold in the glass and bright, but not as brilliantly clear as the '17 Walter Scott 12 east 12 sitting next to it. The nose is wet rocks, light citrus, with a layer of flinty goodness. The palate is lean citrus, minerals, flint again, hint of yeast? and sharp acidity. Great medium mouthfeel, and the finish is quite long and dominated by the acidity. Only the slightest hint of oak on the nose and don't get any on the palate. Overall, right in my style zone for chardonnay. This one reminds me more of the X-Novo than any of their other Chardonnays. The rock salt is brighter and more acidic and maybe just more tensioned than X-Novo. It's a very refined and delicious wine. Kudos to the folks at Walter Scott for sharing some stash.
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3/24/2020 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour. Nice aromas of lemon/lime/brine that built over time. I liked the palate a lot - tons of energy with nice citrus and flint notes. Will probably give my next bottle 1 hour of air before getting after it.
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