Thomas Fogarty Damiana Vineyard Estate Chardonnay 2016
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Wine
Enthusiast -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
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Wine Enthusiast
From a vineyard planted in 1978, this bottling starts off quite subtle, with white flowers, lemon rinds, nectarine and wet white-rock aromas. The palate is extremely tense and chalky, with white flower, Asian pear and a light brush of vanilla. Drink now through 2036. Cellar Selection
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Jeb Dunnuck
Lastly, the 2016 Chardonnay Damiana Vineyard comes from a rocky site located just beside the estate, and it’s one of the more exotic and complex wines in the lineup. Revealing lots of minerality as well as tart citrus and tropical fruit characteristics, it’s medium bodied, has vibrant acidity, good mid-palate depth, and terrific balance. This classic Chardonnay is going to benefit from a year in bottle and it should age gracefully giving it vibrancy.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The most generous and textural of these vineyard-designate Chardonnays—and also hailing from Fogarty's oldest vines, planted in 1978—the 2016 Chardonnay Damiana Vineyard offers up aromas of green orchard fruits, citrus pith and pastry cream. On the palate, it's full-bodied, glossy and succulent, with considerable concentration, a layered mid-palate and a stony, almost saline finish. Enjoy it for the coming decade.
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Wine & Spirits
This comes from the first vineyard Thomas Fogarty planted, a clearing in the Santa Cruz Mountains at 1,890 feet, where the vines date to 1978. In the 2016 vintage, the wine feels brisk and cool, with yellow plum and yellow apple flavors deepening to an unctuous note of apricot fruit leather. It feels savory and naked, a wine that tastes like a food, with the chew of a fresh diver scallop or the richness of roast sweetbreads, either of which would serve it well.
Other Vintages
2012-
Wine
Enthusiast
Twenty five acres of Burgundian-style varietals are planted on the 325 acre estate, focusing on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and small lots of Merlot and Sangiovese. The winery property, located directly west of Palo Alto and Stanford University, sits on Skyline Blvd. at a 2000 foot elevation. The long, cool growing season and excellent sun exposure provide an ideal climate for these grape varieties. Dr. Fogarty's vision is to produce high quality, character-filled wines which take full advantage of the unique soil and climate of this appellation.
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 rugged and topographically diverse cool-climate appellation with a rich history, the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA stretches from Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco, to the northern border of Monterey County. Elevations range from 800 feet to upwards of 3,000 and microclimates vary substantially depending on which side of the mountains the vineyards lie; cool ocean winds and fog play an important role here. This can be a challenging region in which to grow grapes, but it is well worth the effort. Santa Cruz Mountains wines are noted for balanced acidity levels, often showing great aging potential. Wine has been made here since the 1800s, most notably from the legendary Ridge Vineyards, whose Monte Bello vineyard garners international admiration.
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the stars of this region, while Merlot and Zinfandel also perform quite well. Organic and sustainable vineyard practices are becoming increasingly common.