Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This shows freshness and complexity with yeast, pie-crust and dried-apple character. Medium-bodied, dense and reserved still. Real now.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Chardonnay is slow to unfold. Scents of hazelnuts, candle smoke and dried hay mingle with notes of citrus, elderflower and green tea leaves, supported by a crushed shell-like undertone. The palate is racy, fresh and mineral driven, finishing long and lifted.
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Vinous
The 2011 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard has aged quite well, although I do not see it improving from here. In the glass, it offers up an enticing
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Wine Enthusiast
The mighty partnership between the Hyde and de Villaine families shows maturity in this vineyard-designated wine, from the Hyde's well-respected site. Ripe golden pear delivers a richness to the palate that is offset by floral minerality and a pleasant texture of citrus and spice.
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.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.