94+ pts Robert Parker Jr's The Wine Advocate February 2020, Week 1

Our traditional winemaking approach has always been to make a long-lived, dynamic Chardonnay.  Indeed, our lineage going back to the 1940’s and our “Library” starting in 1972 is a testament to our ability to make vintages that age for twenty-five years.

Our Reserve Chardonnay starts as estate Chardonnay. Eleven barrels are selected when the “Estate” is bottled and then aged an additional 12 months on its lees in a stainless-steel tank. During this time these sediments dissolve in the wine giving it protection from oxidation.

2015, a drought year, yielded an early and bountiful harvest. The wine has youthful aromas of lemon and cardamom; with vibrant flavors of toast, citrus, herbs and mineral. We’ve been making the Reserve Chardonnay since 2007 and now, with vintages going back over a decade, we can definitely state that these wines age even better than our Estate Bottled Chardonnay. This was our hope when we first started this practice.

Expect slow development over the next ten years and longevity with proper cellaring.