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. — 9 months ago
Domaine François Raveneau
Butteaux Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 2010
The majestic 2010 Raveneau vintage. 2010 Butteaux is just electric after a few hours in the decanter, showing right at the intersection between youthful vigor and secondary character as it’s starting to develop that magical Raveneau waxy texture that comes with age. It’s deeply aromatic, layered and impeccably balanced between creamy yellow fruit density, stony Chablisen minerality and piercing lemony acids driving everything home. Raveneau is just in a league of its own and 2010 will be one of the best vintages ever for the Domaine and a true classic, terroir driven expression. My favorite since 2004. — 2 months ago
Stony Hill
Napa Valley White Riesling
Honey. Melon. Mineral. — 9 months ago
Jeremy Shanker
Sommelier at RN74
Still fresh, youthful and bright. Perfectly balanced with bright with yellow fruit, yellow flowers, sunflower. — 20 days ago