Winemaker Notes
Fruity, mineral nose with pear and apple orchard fruit. Balanced acidity makes this wine fresh with a long stone fruit finish.
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Larry Hyde opens slowly, offering subtle glimpses of lime peel, fresh grapefruit and white peaches to begin before giving way to a compelling core of Bosc pears, fennel seed, marzipan and shaved ginger. Medium-bodied with tons of elegance and latent energy, the palate delivers tightly wound layers of citrus and stone fruit plus loads of mineral accents and a racy line of freshness, finishing long and zesty. I'd give this another year or two in bottle and drink it over the following 7-8 years. Rating: 95+
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Chardonnay Larry Hyde Vineyard is a brilliant effort, showing beautiful stone fruits, toasted bread, honeyed nuts, and a touch of minerality. With building richness, a layered, elegant texture, good acidity, and a clean finish, it's well worth seeking out and I suspect will cruise for upwards of a decade in cool cellars.
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.