Marcassin Alexander Estate Upper Barn Chardonnay (torn label) 2000

  • 90 Robert
    Parker
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Marcassin Alexander Estate Upper Barn Chardonnay (torn label) 2000 Front Label
Marcassin Alexander Estate Upper Barn Chardonnay (torn label) 2000 Front Label

Product Details


Varietal

Region

Producer

Vintage
2000

Size
750ML

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

Professional Ratings

  • 90
    While John Wetlaufer thought the 2000 Chardonnay Upper Barn, from the re-named Jess Jackson owned vineyard now called Alexander Mountain Estate, to be the finest they have made, I thought it was evolved in both color and flavor. It came across as a trifle cloying, which is an adjective I have never applied to any Marcassin wine. It possesses a deep medium gold color, not surprising given the fact that this vineyard often produces deeper colored wines. The buttery popcorn, hazelnut, and toasty notes were forward, but there is tremendous power as well as a leesy richness, and decent underlying acidity.
Marcassin

Marcassin

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Marcassin, California
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If you haven’t heard of Helen Turley, or tasted one of her wines, you’ve definitely not been paying close enough attention to the wines coming out of California in the last 10 years. She is arguably one of the most influential winemakers in the business, receiving critical acclaim for almost every wine she touches. Aside from her own boutique winery, Marcassin, which she runs with husband John Wetlaufer, Helen has been the consulting winemaker for some of the best wineries in the country – Colgin, Bryant Family, Martinelli – just to name a few.

Marcassin (french for 'young wild boar') is a VERY small winery – in fact it’s so small that the wines have actually been made at the Martinelli winery in Russian River Valley. Located on the Sonoma Coast, the Marcassin vineyard is planted to 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and is about 10 acres in size. Fruit for the other vineyard designated wines is sourced from other neighboring vineyards. Marcassin will always be a small winery; John & Helen feel the perfect size is 100 barrels, enough for 2,500 cases.

Helen’s winemaking philosophy is simple: great vineyards, meticulously farmed, limited yield, long hang time and natural yeast. She approaches every project with these same priorities.

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One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.

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Alexander Valley Wine

Sonoma County, California

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Nearly a northern extension of Napa Valley, Alexander Valley starts just north of the small, Knights Valley, and is just a few minutes drive from the Napa town of Calistoga. It is Sonoma County’s hottest AVA. But the Russian River, which runs through the valley, creates cooler pockets and its soft, alluvial soil is ideal for grape growing, especially Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, some believe that Alexander Valley Cabernets truly rival the best from Napa Valley and many of the heavy-hitter producers have largely invested here.

In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes up over 50% of plantings, Merlot and old vine Zinfandel thrive here. Ample, fleshy Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dominate white wine production. Some old-vine plantings of Grenache have also been discovered and more recent experiments with Sangiovese and Barbera show great promise.

LSB209560_2000 Item# 209560

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