Saturday, May 18, 2013

2002 Ramey Chardonnay 'Hyde Vineyard' (Carneros)

Source: Viscount

Consumption Date: 5/18/2013

Notes: Musky animal/meaty aroma with hints of damp wood, chalk, and vanilla.  Light bodied and delicate, but with a fullness of flavor that hints at fruit (peaches/lemons), but is dominated by a toasty vanilla, a chalky minerality, and succulent acidity.  Finishes long with more vanilla, minerality, and lemon fruit acidity.

This is one of my first fine quality California Chardonnays and it has proven to be a worthy wine.  While it doesn’t have the finesse or depth of the Puligny-Montrachet I recently had, it is clearly of fine quality.  It is much more delicate, lively, and mineral than I would have expected, but also less fruity and heavier on toasty oak/vanilla than I would have thought (and more so than the wine probably needs).  Interesting and enjoyable enough to make me interested to explore more high quality California Chardonnay.

Value: Good

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