There’s just so much in every mouthful of this superlative northern California Chardonnay that I defy anyone to be disappointed by it. It’s not cheap, especially not in the UK where even its importer charges £26 a bottle retail, but Americans should feel privileged they can get their hands on this marvel for just $30 – especially since California is still awash with formulaic, sweet Chardonnays costing far more than this.
I’ve been tasting a wide range of white burgundies from the lauded 2002 vintage in recent days and this wine knocks spots off them all. It is not fat. It is not buttery, It certainly isn’t oaky. It is just thoroughbred terroir-driven Chardonnay with layers of flavour and great tension and acidity. It has such density that each mouthful feels as though it ought to be chewed rather than sipped – but it is not at all heavy. The acidity makes it wonderfully lively and racy. This to me is more burgundian than typically California, but it tastes as though it was made with enormous application – creative tension here in the best possible sense.
I tasted the same producer’s 2001 Cahill Lane Pinot Noir and was not nearly as blown away but this top quality Chardonnay (not a phrase I use often) is a bottle you could put on any dinner table with great pride. Nor is there any desperate hurry to drink it. Buy a bottle now for the next time you are entertaining a traditionalist who thinks The French Know Everything.
The winery was founded by Walter Hansel but is now run by his son Steve who runs a series of car dealerships in Sonoma County but basically lives to make wine inbetween keeping the auto business running over. Vineyards are nicely mature and the wines are clearly made by an admirer of great burgundy.
winesearcher.com lists a few stockists in the US but UK wine lovers should seek out this wine at Food and Fine Wine of Sheffield and Altrincham or the estimable Noel Young of Trumpington near Cambridge.