Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 20-year-old 1995 Chardonnay Cuvee W that’s just being released is from the Old Wente clone and, again, 100% from the Wente Estate Vineyard. This was aged for ten months in French oak, of which 50% was new, and bottled without filtration in 1996. Now, 19 years later, Terry Leighton is releasing it. The color is suspiciously dark gold, which at first brings up the specter of oxidation, but the wine is not the least bit “old.” It is fresh, lively and explodes on the mouth with fresh white currants, quince, honeysuckle, buttery brioche, white peach and tropical fruits. The wine looks bizarre, but tastes great, and in many ways reflects its eccentric owner. This is a full-bodied wine with great acidity, and only fate knows how much longer it will last, but I suspect it’s got at least another decade in it.
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.
A large Northern California appellation centered on the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Francisco Bay AVA falls within the larger Central Coast AVA. The smaller appellations of Livermore Valley, Pacheco Pass, San Ysidro District and Santa Clara Valley AVAs fall within the San Francisco Bay boundaries, and all produce high-quality Central Coast wines.