Wine & Spirits 92 points - This fragrant, delicate white features floral scents that lead to flavors of white peach, nectarine and honeysuckle. Refined and elegant, in a pleasing, deliberate style. Drink now through 2018.—J.L.
The 2009 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard is another of the wines that emphasizes textural depth and body. This is a relatively plush, rich Chardonnay endowed with considerable volume in its apricot and tangerine fruit. The aromas and flavors move towards the more tropical end of the spectrum, but without fully reaching that level of exoticness. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019.
| Wine maker notes |
| Located in gently rolling terrain north of Carneros Highway, the soils are quite heavy clay. Vine selection is Old Wente and Long Vineyards, and the vines range from 7 to 24 years old. The Wente is marked by very small grape clusters, with small berries, and the so-called "hen-and-chick”--large and small berries within the same cluster.
The Wente produces a classic, Burgundian-style wine, without the tropical fruit tones of some California Chardonnays. The Long Vineyards selection adds a floral note, and the Hyde Vineyard wines often seem charming and feminine.
Hyde Vineyard fruit has structure and density and are therefore able to absorb more oak without being overwhelmed. The wine will see around seventy percent new Burgundian barrels and spend up to twenty-one months in barrel, completely sur lies, before being bottled without filtration.
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