From the vineyard surrounding the winery, the 2003 Chardonnay Vine Hill looks to be one of the candidates for the Chardonnay of the vintage. Truly profound stuff, with a stunning nose of tangerines, orange marmalade, and lemon custard, this layered, full-bodied wine has superb purity, striking minerality, and builds incrementally in the mouth, finishing with rather high-toned flavors that are buttressed by good, crisp acidity. It is a prodigious Chardonnay and comes across like a California version of Chevalier-Montrachet. This wine is young and unevolved, and I suspect it will hit its prime in 1-3 years and last for up to a decade.
(Release date 3/06)
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