Stony Ocean
Stony Hill
SHV Napa Valley Chardonnay 2012
My nomination for Wine of the Year and it’s… a Napa Chardonnay?!? This wine challenged and expanded my beliefs about what this region, site and variety could be.
Also, we seem to be catching this wine at exactly the right point.
This Spring Mountain estate was focused almost entirely on white wines until recently and has some of the region’s oldest Napa plantings of Riesling and Chardonnay. (Of course now that they’ve been acquired by some PE group for an absurd sum, Cab is being planted everywhere but that’s a story for another day)
Their Chardonnay is idiosyncratic — no malo and low abv (the 2012 vintage is a mere 13%), but you wouldn’t know from its richness.
Mindblowingly complex and - most importantly - indulgently delicious (in other words, I blew my wine budget for two months on two bottles good).
Initial aromas of plastic / petrol (like riesling) that take on more of a toasted vanilla / caramel flan with air. On the nose and palate: pear and lemon, salt and stone. The flavors are concentrated and intense on the attack and yet the wine has such a light touch on the palate and a graceful finish — toasted hay, salty and flirting with bitter marzipan — that just goes on and on and on.
It brings me back to that afternoon on Spring Mountain with the perfect fall light, changing leaves and the coyote we saw crossing our path as we made our way up the winding drive way.
Absolutely fucking brilliant. — 5 months ago
Stony Hill
Napa Valley White Riesling
Honey. Melon. Mineral. — 5 months ago
Domaine François Raveneau
Butteaux Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 2013
A typical tale of Raveneau. Best after 3 hours in the decanter. I really do love Raveneau’s 13’s. It’s an early drinking vintage (by Raveneau standards) while you wait for the surrounding ones. There’s immense richness and depth of waxy yellow fruit and stony minerals on the palate with créme fraîche, spices and a touch of botrytis influenced saffron in its layered aromatics. Superb cut and racy lemony acids provide a seamless balance to its power and richness. No surprise, beautiful wine. — 6 months ago
Matanzas Creek Winery
Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc 2022
A nice blend of 90% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Semillon and 5% Sauvignon Musque pale lemon with aromas of tropical and citrus fruits with smoky floral notes. On the palate flavors of apple, melon, pear and lemon citrus notes with nice balance, crisp medium finish ending with fruit and stony mineral notes. Nice value! — 5 months ago
Vincent Dauvissat
Les Clos Chablis Grand Cru Chardonnay 2007
In such an amazing place. A perfect bottle. There is youthful power and verve and an incredible depth and seamlessness of vibrant fruit layered with minerality, pastry cream, roasted hazelnuts and an ocean spray-like salinity. It’s texturally captivating, wrapping around the palate with killer density without weight. Racy acids balance its richness and secondary nuttiness and it finishes forever. White burg at its finest. — 8 months ago
Jeroen Koenen
Candied lemon, wet wool, almondpaste and notes of stony minerality and fresh straw. Acidity feels kinds low.
To drink now. — a day ago