Wow - back up the truck and buy all the bottles that you see of this. The other reviewer saying that this is a wine that demands attention is spot on - this is a tense, energetic wine that almost punches you in the mouth. Tons of acidity and less oak than you might associate with a Napa/Sonoma chard, but incredibly long finish. I'm sure this is a wine that will get better with time, but it's hard to keep hands off of something so exciting and enjoyable.
And I agree this is better at a colder temperature.
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Aromas of tropical fruits with a fresh breeze like you’re stranded on an island. Wet stones, grass and pineapples with fresh pears. Some dry, frayed, spiced oak on the nose as well.
Fresh and swift on the palate, similar fruit from the nose, prickly dried hay, and minerals. Good energy, and great juiciness with the nice acidity. Might wanna serve these at cellar temp as it seemed to be a bit more exciting at a cooler temp.
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Im not a big drinker of whites but damnit this is incredible. Popped after a long day of snowboarding in sierra cement then driving 3.5 hrs home. Many CA chards ive had always have some kind of off-putting green note, or are thin, or hot, or over oaked... not this one, just pure elegance in the (grassl) glass.
LiteItOnFire got me going with VV and Im glad he did. These are awesome. 4 left in the offsite, not feeling in any hurry to consume.
There is often an urgency to CA Chardonnay that is distinct from White Burgundy. CA leans forward in the mouth, in an energetic, look-at-me, pulsating kind of way. Viewed with derision, the wine is searching for a compliment; viewed with affection, it's deserving of one. I don't know which perspective is better (though I find myself gravitating towards Old World subtlety as I get older) - but make no mistake: this wine demands attention.
Is that attention rewarded? Mostly, but I didn't see the fireworks that others did at the moment (or, maybe I just thought the show was a little loud - and, by the way, get-off-my-lawn!). Light yellow in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of pear, cantaloupe, and vanilla bean. The flavors are dense, with notes of lemon peel, orange marmalade, and gooseberry, with a pungent finish that softens, a bit, after a few hours. 14% alcohol. 94 at the moment, but it should improve in another year or so (as have prior vintages of this wine).
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First of 2 ($139.99) from the big box wine store bought about a month ago, with high recommendations from CT friends. On the nose and palate, initial medium to strong notes of mixed tart and sweet citrus and orange rind, river rocks, white flowers, a light touch of oak, a subtle nuttiness, and after an hour or so, baked apples and pears. Light gold, medium+ bodied, light to medium legs. Lightish tannins, moderate plus acidity well in balance with the other elements and progressively integrated, no heat. VG+ complexity, excellent intensity, VG++ persistence. Splash decanted, recorked then brought to Kokkari for a mostly seafood birthday and anniversary dinner with K, this wine came out of the bottle with an almost Chablis angularity which morphed more into a White Burg mode with air, although its texture, while not creamy, wasn’t exactly chalky, either. Although one of the least expensive things VV produces, this actually headlined the list of what I wanted to try when I was there for my tasting, although, alas, they were out of stock (but then, I’d hoped to taste in the cave with P&S, but as the prophet Jagger said so well, you can’t always get what you want). Happily, pleasure deferred wasn’t pleasure denied. This wine’s profile skews lean, lithe, crisp and savory, what I usually say I want in a chard, even as I order off the Aubert list. The initial crispness was appealing, but air certainly made it deeper and longer, giving the impression that this wine, already drinking at an excellent level, could get better. With the better integration, this wine was equally hospitable on its own, as I’m drinking as it continues to shine on night 2, as it was with octopus and salmon, and while it wouldn’t have been what I would have chosen to pair with the lamb shank, the sips I had with it hung in surprisingly well with the rich, fatty red meat. I don’t get the tropical fruit note that CT friend WBW did, although I do find just a touch of sweetness from the apples and pears, but the notes of nuttiness, minerality and tart citrus keep this version of this bottling from ever feeling in any way flabby. This wine drinks youthfully but in no way fractiously, is totally defensible to open now, yet for my tastes, is more likely to fluctuate on the up than the downside over the next few years, and I’ll likely hold my other bottle a couple of years or so (or so I say now), while perhaps looking to pick up another bottle or 2 from this or an older vintage at this or a lower price point. 95-96+
Germane to a CT comments conversation I’ve been having today with 2 CT friends, I’ve been slowly bumping up my wine spend over the past year-18 months (not relative to them, but relative to where I’ve been), and I’ve been lucky to have a chance to have some memorable chards during that time. While it’s probably not fair to compare, and also perhaps not that accurate unless the tastes are side by side, it is, alas, for me, at some level inevitable, and with that apologia, I’d say that, at this point, for me, this wine doesn’t have the precision of the ‘16 Morlet Coup de Couer, the power of the ‘19 Aubert CIX, or perhaps less fairly, the snap of the Fevre Bougros. Top to bottom, this producer’s carte is consistently excellent, yet I always find myself wanting just a bit more at its wines’ respective price points (in a very different style, I find myself feeling that way about Verite). I’m not quite sure that I’ve caught the VV wines I’ve had at their respective apogees, and I’m looking forward to seeing if I can have the same level of excitement that my friends on the site are finding with my future quaffs.
Marvelous as got better and better with time. Initial first 30 minutes to an hour the wine was a little sour and tight grip of bitter rinds. As the hour past Crisp light acidity, floral, sour kiwi or pine apple, golden blend of clarity goodness can only get better in years to come as it integrates more. Held up very good against the 2016 morlet coupe de coeur.
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Aromas of clean, fresh and crisp white fruits, halved nectarines, some straw, and clean stones with a nice salinity. When tasting straight from the pour, the flavors are there, but weren't really working together. It was only after about 30 minutes did the flavors really start meshing with each other. Whole ripe pineapples, clean minerals with a touch of salinity, some cut grass and a nice acidity that keeps everything refreshing and lifted. Great energy as always.
Wow is this my kind of wine. WineBurrowingWombat and Cristal said it all. I think I might have actually liked it more than them. This wine truly is antithetical to the CA butter chardonnay as there is little if any of that kind of profile here. Drink now or hold. I pop and poured it was singing right out of the gate. Delicious with or without food. Perfect summer refreshment.
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Such the anti-California chard...chard. I think in a blind, it may actually be hard to tell if this is from CA or Burgundy. Lots of wineries claim to make this style, but rarely do they pull it off.
Lovely green apple, citrus, almonds and wet stone notes. Very austere and mineral driven with a massive, grippy crushed rock element. Super crisp, the fruit only emerges with time but the freshness, energy and focus stand out, along with an extremely long finish. Super duper good, if not at all like most CA chards.
Nose: [47°-52°] Ripe, fresh white and yellow fleshed fruits fruits, and clean stones. [54°-60°+] Heavier fruits, pith of a pomelo, a zing of acidity, racy minerality, clean watered grass and a bit of twigs.
Palate: [47°-52°] Ripe yellow fruits, fresh clean minerals and some fresh grass. [62°+] Fruit and bitter minerals flavors deepen and the body seems to gain a bit of weight.
Attributes: Clear deep medium gold. Dry with little to no tannin. Medium body with medium-plus to high acidity. Good finish of at least 16-18 seconds.
Thoughts: I learned something tonight with Chardonnay; you should decant them if the flavors aren't giving. Loved the fresh crispness and the purity of fruit. Initially, this was overly dominant with minerals. However, with some time, the fruits eventually surfaced and showed much better. I also opened a '20 Maybach Chardonnay to compare and it was a good comparison, despite having different winemakers and being from different vintages. Both are similarly good and it was quite an experience to see how they both tasted. To pick one over the other isn't fair as they both were quite beautiful to me. This experience also showed how much of a noob I really am with wine.
Serving notes: Burgundy glass. Served one glass and emptied bottle into a decanter at cellar temp ~55° and consumed over 9.5 hours. Recommend serving ~45°-58° with a decant of at least 2-4 hours at cellar temp if opening now.
Epic Napa Trip - Day 1: Tasted at Dinner - This wine was tasted complements of Marvin (a.k.a. WBWombat). I thought this was wine was stunningly good! I never expected VV to make such a great Chardonnay! The wine is rich with plenty of pear and apple, some creamy honey butter and nicely integrated sweet toasted oak. Velvety mouthfeel and on par with Kistler and Aubert. I would NEVER refuse a bottle and would certainly love partaking in a bottle anyone wanted to open, but for the money, I will stick to Aubert and Kistler! One of the better Chardonnays I have tasted and I Gove it an enthusiastic 95+ (if it wasn't for all the other great wines we tasted that day, I may have even gone to 96!) Should get even better with some bottle age...would wait until 2025 to open this if it were in my cellar. Unlike Marvin, I thought this got even better as it warmed up and the flavors became more pronounced. Thank you for bringing this Marvin, it was a real treat!
Pleasant aromas of refreshing and ripe yellow fruit with a nice contrast of fresh bitter lemon zest and a scent of crushed stone. The palate is quite similar to the nose of nice fruit with a good amount of acidity and nice minerality to cut through any perceived heaviness. Try to serve this at a cooler temperature if possible to help keep the energy and lift there.
PnP and with only 3/4 of a glass this wine had zero chance to open up as it was too damn good as it was.
Chardonnay & Pinot flight non-tasting note: Of our obnoxiously large tasting group, all but myself and another couple were all 100% Napa palates. So after champagne, when the Pinot and Chard were poured, I purposely watched to see what everyone’s reaction would be as this would be so different than what they were used to… and it was like watching reactions in slow motion as the mind tried to catch up with what the senses/palate was experiencing. It was as juxtaposed as when you pick up a cup of coke and thought it was a sprite but did create some contours that were both amusing and fun to watch as it went from uncertainty to interest to excitement (of course not everyone is ready for the Burg style when all they have known is buttery/heavily oaked Chardonnay and Pinot) but it was super fun to see the bells and whistles go off in their heads once they realized how damn good this wine(s) is.
I rarely if ever get excited by Pinot or Chardonnay so it’s always a let’s hurry up and get this over with so we can get to the good stuff as I tend to think CA SB & chard/Pinot’s are made for reasons other than to make the highest quality that can be produced because the CA price point is a fraction of the Cabernets and it’s a harder varietal to work with when made at the highest quality.
There are a handful that buck this trend and I can add Vice Versa Pinot & Chardonnay to this very small list. The Chardonnay is beautifully dynamic rapid fire intensity of fresh ripe lemons, mineral, more fresh lemon, minerals and a beautiful flower element that plays hide and seek throughout. I would hold this as it’s a wine that should only gain more depth as it ages. What a beauty!
I will put this line on all of my tasting notes from this lineup- not sure if they have any left but if they do, jump at the chance to buy or at a minimum get on the list as this vintage and winery strategy is at an entirely new level (the LC shows how focused they are on the future).
This has become a personal favorite over the last few vintages. Made in a Burgundian style that emphasizes crisp minerality and freshness over oak and concentrated power. Showing lovely grapefruit, lemon tart, white flowers and citrus, this is super energetic on the palate. It’s young, but already bright and crisp with a nice core of fruit to complement the deeply mineral driven and spicy layers of flavor. The citrus fruit shines a bit more in this vintage so far and the finish is very long and satisfying.
Vice Versa weekend and dinner: Similar to the 2018 Vice Versa Platt Chardonnay, this 2019 is a crisp lemon squeeze of a wine that spits white minerality and bitter citrus pith to great length. A floral elemnt tries to push through, but it is stifled a bit by the lemon juice zipping along the palate. The 2018 may have a little bit more going on complexity-wise due almost completely to its extra year of age; so, the 2019 will likely follow suit. The 2018 is also more of a rocket ship compared to the more academic 2019. The perceived acidity of the 2018 is higher than the experience I currently get with the 2019. All that said, I think the 2019 will pick up both speed and complexity over the next year or two. It is perhaps slightly fresher than its year-older brother, but again, that might be more of an age comparison thing between the two more than anything else. Bottom line, if you loved the 2018 like I did, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better domestic Chardonnay, especially since VV’s style avoids slopping their Chardonnays in a tower of butter and vanilla and making you gum your way through it.
Hold this for another year and be rewarded with a snappy Chardonnay that offers Burgundian frame and speed while staying true to its California fruit roots.
Vice Versa '19 Tasting (Wine cave of Vice Versa): This brings refreshing and crisp flavors of abundant yellow fruit with a lacing of savory minerals and a good touch of bitterness. Nose matches palate completely. There is this amazing energy and tension that comes from the acidity that really helps keep the body lifted and lively without just being a full body on the palate. Just as good as the '18 but seemed to have a bigger purity of fruit here. Ridiculously tasty now and will be difficult to stay away from. Easily my top Chardonnay.
One of the crowd favorites.
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12/29/2023 - AaronMaxwell Likes this wine:
Can’t rate because we’re drinking from plastic glasses at a pool in Los Cabos…but it’s delicious 😎
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10/25/2023 - BradleyL Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow - back up the truck and buy all the bottles that you see of this. The other reviewer saying that this is a wine that demands attention is spot on - this is a tense, energetic wine that almost punches you in the mouth. Tons of acidity and less oak than you might associate with a Napa/Sonoma chard, but incredibly long finish. I'm sure this is a wine that will get better with time, but it's hard to keep hands off of something so exciting and enjoyable.
And I agree this is better at a colder temperature.
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10/14/2023 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 96 Points
Aromas of tropical fruits with a fresh breeze like you’re stranded on an island. Wet stones, grass and pineapples with fresh pears. Some dry, frayed, spiced oak on the nose as well.
Fresh and swift on the palate, similar fruit from the nose, prickly dried hay, and minerals. Good energy, and great juiciness with the nice acidity. Might wanna serve these at cellar temp as it seemed to be a bit more exciting at a cooler temp.
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5/13/2023 - jonboy74 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Im not a big drinker of whites but damnit this is incredible. Popped after a long day of snowboarding in sierra cement then driving 3.5 hrs home. Many CA chards ive had always have some kind of off-putting green note, or are thin, or hot, or over oaked... not this one, just pure elegance in the (grassl) glass.
LiteItOnFire got me going with VV and Im glad he did. These are awesome. 4 left in the offsite, not feeling in any hurry to consume.
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1/26/2023 - msuwine wrote: 94 Points
There is often an urgency to CA Chardonnay that is distinct from White Burgundy. CA leans forward in the mouth, in an energetic, look-at-me, pulsating kind of way. Viewed with derision, the wine is searching for a compliment; viewed with affection, it's deserving of one. I don't know which perspective is better (though I find myself gravitating towards Old World subtlety as I get older) - but make no mistake: this wine demands attention.
Is that attention rewarded? Mostly, but I didn't see the fireworks that others did at the moment (or, maybe I just thought the show was a little loud - and, by the way, get-off-my-lawn!). Light yellow in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of pear, cantaloupe, and vanilla bean. The flavors are dense, with notes of lemon peel, orange marmalade, and gooseberry, with a pungent finish that softens, a bit, after a few hours. 14% alcohol. 94 at the moment, but it should improve in another year or so (as have prior vintages of this wine).
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9/15/2022 - greg@newsomehh.com Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank while playing team play finals, loved it
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8/22/2022 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 96 Points
First of 2 ($139.99) from the big box wine store bought about a month ago, with high recommendations from CT friends. On the nose and palate, initial medium to strong notes of mixed tart and sweet citrus and orange rind, river rocks, white flowers, a light touch of oak, a subtle nuttiness, and after an hour or so, baked apples and pears. Light gold, medium+ bodied, light to medium legs. Lightish tannins, moderate plus acidity well in balance with the other elements and progressively integrated, no heat. VG+ complexity, excellent intensity, VG++ persistence. Splash decanted, recorked then brought to Kokkari for a mostly seafood birthday and anniversary dinner with K, this wine came out of the bottle with an almost Chablis angularity which morphed more into a White Burg mode with air, although its texture, while not creamy, wasn’t exactly chalky, either. Although one of the least expensive things VV produces, this actually headlined the list of what I wanted to try when I was there for my tasting, although, alas, they were out of stock (but then, I’d hoped to taste in the cave with P&S, but as the prophet Jagger said so well, you can’t always get what you want). Happily, pleasure deferred wasn’t pleasure denied. This wine’s profile skews lean, lithe, crisp and savory, what I usually say I want in a chard, even as I order off the Aubert list. The initial crispness was appealing, but air certainly made it deeper and longer, giving the impression that this wine, already drinking at an excellent level, could get better. With the better integration, this wine was equally hospitable on its own, as I’m drinking as it continues to shine on night 2, as it was with octopus and salmon, and while it wouldn’t have been what I would have chosen to pair with the lamb shank, the sips I had with it hung in surprisingly well with the rich, fatty red meat. I don’t get the tropical fruit note that CT friend WBW did, although I do find just a touch of sweetness from the apples and pears, but the notes of nuttiness, minerality and tart citrus keep this version of this bottling from ever feeling in any way flabby. This wine drinks youthfully but in no way fractiously, is totally defensible to open now, yet for my tastes, is more likely to fluctuate on the up than the downside over the next few years, and I’ll likely hold my other bottle a couple of years or so (or so I say now), while perhaps looking to pick up another bottle or 2 from this or an older vintage at this or a lower price point. 95-96+
Germane to a CT comments conversation I’ve been having today with 2 CT friends, I’ve been slowly bumping up my wine spend over the past year-18 months (not relative to them, but relative to where I’ve been), and I’ve been lucky to have a chance to have some memorable chards during that time. While it’s probably not fair to compare, and also perhaps not that accurate unless the tastes are side by side, it is, alas, for me, at some level inevitable, and with that apologia, I’d say that, at this point, for me, this wine doesn’t have the precision of the ‘16 Morlet Coup de Couer, the power of the ‘19 Aubert CIX, or perhaps less fairly, the snap of the Fevre Bougros. Top to bottom, this producer’s carte is consistently excellent, yet I always find myself wanting just a bit more at its wines’ respective price points (in a very different style, I find myself feeling that way about Verite). I’m not quite sure that I’ve caught the VV wines I’ve had at their respective apogees, and I’m looking forward to seeing if I can have the same level of excitement that my friends on the site are finding with my future quaffs.
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7/23/2022 - Takeshi Likes this wine: 96 Points
Marvelous as got better and better with time. Initial first 30 minutes to an hour the wine was a little sour and tight grip of bitter rinds. As the hour past Crisp light acidity, floral, sour kiwi or pine apple, golden blend of clarity goodness can only get better in years to come as it integrates more. Held up very good against the 2016 morlet coupe de coeur.
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6/4/2022 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 98 Points
Wine night /w Stealth913 (Stealth's Hideout): Note to self: decant your whites too, dummy.
Aromas of clean, fresh and crisp white fruits, halved nectarines, some straw, and clean stones with a nice salinity. When tasting straight from the pour, the flavors are there, but weren't really working together. It was only after about 30 minutes did the flavors really start meshing with each other. Whole ripe pineapples, clean minerals with a touch of salinity, some cut grass and a nice acidity that keeps everything refreshing and lifted. Great energy as always.
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5/25/2022 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 98 Points
Wow is this my kind of wine. WineBurrowingWombat and Cristal said it all. I think I might have actually liked it more than them. This wine truly is antithetical to the CA butter chardonnay as there is little if any of that kind of profile here. Drink now or hold. I pop and poured it was singing right out of the gate. Delicious with or without food. Perfect summer refreshment.
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5/24/2022 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Such the anti-California chard...chard. I think in a blind, it may actually be hard to tell if this is from CA or Burgundy. Lots of wineries claim to make this style, but rarely do they pull it off.
Lovely green apple, citrus, almonds and wet stone notes. Very austere and mineral driven with a massive, grippy crushed rock element. Super crisp, the fruit only emerges with time but the freshness, energy and focus stand out, along with an extremely long finish. Super duper good, if not at all like most CA chards.
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3/12/2022 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 97 Points
Nose: [47°-52°] Ripe, fresh white and yellow fleshed fruits fruits, and clean stones. [54°-60°+] Heavier fruits, pith of a pomelo, a zing of acidity, racy minerality, clean watered grass and a bit of twigs.
Palate: [47°-52°] Ripe yellow fruits, fresh clean minerals and some fresh grass. [62°+] Fruit and bitter minerals flavors deepen and the body seems to gain a bit of weight.
Attributes: Clear deep medium gold. Dry with little to no tannin. Medium body with medium-plus to high acidity. Good finish of at least 16-18 seconds.
Thoughts: I learned something tonight with Chardonnay; you should decant them if the flavors aren't giving. Loved the fresh crispness and the purity of fruit. Initially, this was overly dominant with minerals. However, with some time, the fruits eventually surfaced and showed much better. I also opened a '20 Maybach Chardonnay to compare and it was a good comparison, despite having different winemakers and being from different vintages. Both are similarly good and it was quite an experience to see how they both tasted. To pick one over the other isn't fair as they both were quite beautiful to me. This experience also showed how much of a noob I really am with wine.
Serving notes: Burgundy glass. Served one glass and emptied bottle into a decanter at cellar temp ~55° and consumed over 9.5 hours. Recommend serving ~45°-58° with a decant of at least 2-4 hours at cellar temp if opening now.
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12/9/2021 - Wine Warrior 1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great potential, very representative of the vineyard.
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12/5/2021 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Epic Napa Trip - Day 1: Tasted at Dinner - This wine was tasted complements of Marvin (a.k.a. WBWombat). I thought this was wine was stunningly good! I never expected VV to make such a great Chardonnay! The wine is rich with plenty of pear and apple, some creamy honey butter and nicely integrated sweet toasted oak. Velvety mouthfeel and on par with Kistler and Aubert. I would NEVER refuse a bottle and would certainly love partaking in a bottle anyone wanted to open, but for the money, I will stick to Aubert and Kistler! One of the better Chardonnays I have tasted and I Gove it an enthusiastic 95+ (if it wasn't for all the other great wines we tasted that day, I may have even gone to 96!) Should get even better with some bottle age...would wait until 2025 to open this if it were in my cellar. Unlike Marvin, I thought this got even better as it warmed up and the flavors became more pronounced. Thank you for bringing this Marvin, it was a real treat!
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12/5/2021 - galewskj wrote: 90 Points
Napa trip day 1: Pop and pour. Nice chardonnay flavors, not over the top but some noticeable alcohol.
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12/5/2021 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 97 Points
Pleasant aromas of refreshing and ripe yellow fruit with a nice contrast of fresh bitter lemon zest and a scent of crushed stone. The palate is quite similar to the nose of nice fruit with a good amount of acidity and nice minerality to cut through any perceived heaviness. Try to serve this at a cooler temperature if possible to help keep the energy and lift there.
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8/21/2021 - LiteItOnFire Likes this wine:
PnP and with only 3/4 of a glass this wine had zero chance to open up as it was too damn good as it was.
Chardonnay & Pinot flight non-tasting note: Of our obnoxiously large tasting group, all but myself and another couple were all 100% Napa palates. So after champagne, when the Pinot and Chard were poured, I purposely watched to see what everyone’s reaction would be as this would be so different than what they were used to… and it was like watching reactions in slow motion as the mind tried to catch up with what the senses/palate was experiencing. It was as juxtaposed as when you pick up a cup of coke and thought it was a sprite but did create some contours that were both amusing and fun to watch as it went from uncertainty to interest to excitement (of course not everyone is ready for the Burg style when all they have known is buttery/heavily oaked Chardonnay and Pinot) but it was super fun to see the bells and whistles go off in their heads once they realized how damn good this wine(s) is.
I rarely if ever get excited by Pinot or Chardonnay so it’s always a let’s hurry up and get this over with so we can get to the good stuff as I tend to think CA SB & chard/Pinot’s are made for reasons other than to make the highest quality that can be produced because the CA price point is a fraction of the Cabernets and it’s a harder varietal to work with when made at the highest quality.
There are a handful that buck this trend and I can add Vice Versa Pinot & Chardonnay to this very small list. The Chardonnay is beautifully dynamic rapid fire intensity of fresh ripe lemons, mineral, more fresh lemon, minerals and a beautiful flower element that plays hide and seek throughout. I would hold this as it’s a wine that should only gain more depth as it ages. What a beauty!
I will put this line on all of my tasting notes from this lineup- not sure if they have any left but if they do, jump at the chance to buy or at a minimum get on the list as this vintage and winery strategy is at an entirely new level (the LC shows how focused they are on the future).
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7/27/2021 - Cristal2000 Likes this wine: 97 Points
This has become a personal favorite over the last few vintages. Made in a Burgundian style that emphasizes crisp minerality and freshness over oak and concentrated power. Showing lovely grapefruit, lemon tart, white flowers and citrus, this is super energetic on the palate. It’s young, but already bright and crisp with a nice core of fruit to complement the deeply mineral driven and spicy layers of flavor. The citrus fruit shines a bit more in this vintage so far and the finish is very long and satisfying.
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7/27/2021 - csimm wrote: 96 Points
Vice Versa weekend and dinner: Similar to the 2018 Vice Versa Platt Chardonnay, this 2019 is a crisp lemon squeeze of a wine that spits white minerality and bitter citrus pith to great length. A floral elemnt tries to push through, but it is stifled a bit by the lemon juice zipping along the palate. The 2018 may have a little bit more going on complexity-wise due almost completely to its extra year of age; so, the 2019 will likely follow suit. The 2018 is also more of a rocket ship compared to the more academic 2019. The perceived acidity of the 2018 is higher than the experience I currently get with the 2019. All that said, I think the 2019 will pick up both speed and complexity over the next year or two. It is perhaps slightly fresher than its year-older brother, but again, that might be more of an age comparison thing between the two more than anything else. Bottom line, if you loved the 2018 like I did, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better domestic Chardonnay, especially since VV’s style avoids slopping their Chardonnays in a tower of butter and vanilla and making you gum your way through it.
Hold this for another year and be rewarded with a snappy Chardonnay that offers Burgundian frame and speed while staying true to its California fruit roots.
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2/27/2021 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 99 Points
Vice Versa '19 Tasting (Wine cave of Vice Versa): This brings refreshing and crisp flavors of abundant yellow fruit with a lacing of savory minerals and a good touch of bitterness. Nose matches palate completely. There is this amazing energy and tension that comes from the acidity that really helps keep the body lifted and lively without just being a full body on the palate. Just as good as the '18 but seemed to have a bigger purity of fruit here. Ridiculously tasty now and will be difficult to stay away from. Easily my top Chardonnay.
One of the crowd favorites.
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