Vintage Chart

What I believe to be the current release, the 2017 Chardonnay Reserve is a barrel selection from the estate on the Santa Cruz Mountains. It has a deeper, medium gold hue as well as a reserved yet promising nose of almond paste, golden fruits, toasted bread, and baking spices. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and balanced on the palate, with good acidity and the class to evolve nicely for another decade. However, there’s no need to delay gratification either. Maturity 2022 – 2032

After his Estate Chardonnay has been aging in barrels for ten months, Jeffrey Patterson moves a selection of 11 of those barrels into stainless steel tanks for another ten months of aging on the lees. The 2017 is less about freshness than complexity, a round full-bodied chardonnay with heady notes of dried flowers and spice. Decant it for seared scallops. —J.G.

The 2017 Chardonnay Reserve is an intriguing wine. For a vintage that was so torrid, the Reserve remains very much light on its feet. Tangerine oil, hazelnut, passionfruit, chamomile, butter, baked apple tart and pastry lend quite a bit of nuance. There’s good freshness and plenty of complexity. Time brings out the wine’s textural richness and exotic flair. The 2017 spent ten months in oak and then a year in tank prior to being bottled. Drinking window:  2023 – 2029—A.G

A denser shade of yellow in the glass, this bottling begins with aromas of dried pineapple, mango and white flowers on the nose. The palate is both tightly woven in texture and yet rich in flavor, with dried lemon and pear slices that remain clean and fresh into the finish. —M.K.

Crisp acidity supports fresh Gala apple and pear tart flavors in this well-structured version, which shows nutmeg and clove accents midpalate that linger into the rich, open-textured finish, with plenty of toasty notes. Drink now through 2025. — KM