Stony Hill
SHV Napa Valley Chardonnay
St. Helena, Napa Valley, California, USA
dry farmed, old vine. smoking good, elegant, balanced, white floral, clean. fresh, herbal, mineral. gorgeous. 10
dry farmed, old vine. smoking good, elegant, balanced, white floral, clean. fresh, herbal, mineral. gorgeous. 10
Feb 19th, 2020
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.
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.
Delicate pale straw color. Tart Gala apple and pear. Crisp with balanced acidity true to the vineyard and deftness of the winemaker. This wine can keep going for years to come. Drank over three nights and final glass was no less, perhaps more enjoyable than the first.
Delicate pale straw color. Tart Gala apple and pear. Crisp with balanced acidity true to the vineyard and deftness of the winemaker. This wine can keep going for years to come. Drank over three nights and final glass was no less, perhaps more enjoyable than the first.
Dec 3rd, 2020
2012 vintage. Fresh balanced with long finish delightful wine
2012 vintage. Fresh balanced with long finish delightful wine
Aug 30th, 2018
