Wine Spectator 82 points - Ripe yet heavy-handed, with cedary oak holding the upper hand on the ripe pear and apple fruit. Ends with a woody aftertaste. Drink now. 1,780 cases made. –JL (Jul 31 2007)
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Wine maker notes
Located in gently rolling terrain north of Carneros Highway, the soils are quite heavy clay. Vine selection is Old Wente and Long Vineyards, and the vines range from 7 to 24 years old. The Wente is marked by very small grape clusters, with small berries, and the so-called “hen-and-chick”--large and small berries within the same cluster.
The Wente produces a classic, Burgundian-style wine, without the tropical fruit tones of some California Chardonnays. The Long Vineyards selection adds a floral note, and the Hyde Vineyard wines often seem charming and feminine.
Hyde Vineyard fruit has structure and density and are therefore able to absorb more oak without being overwhelmed. The wine will see around seventy percent new Burgundian barrels and spend up to twenty-one months in barrel, completely sur lies, before being bottled without filtration.
