Chardonnay remains the favorite white wine among consumers. But among wine connoisseurs, sommeliers, and wine writers, the anything-but-Chardonnay crowd appears to be winning. The explanation for Chardonnay’s diminishing reputation is not hard to discern. We grew tired of the flabby, oaky, buttery monsters coming out of California in the early 2000s and began to search for something with more finesse. Winemakers have backed off that dated style and most Chardonnays today are more restrained, with less overt oak, and more acidity. But the problem is that Chardonnay, left to its own devices, is not very interesting. It lacks the range of Riesling or the intensity of Sauvignon Blanc. It benefits from some careful but creative winemaking, a little oak, some resting on the lees, judicious malolactic fermentation, etc.
Chardonnay is like most of us. Naked we’re nothing special. But with a good tailor and some dressing up we can make make a good showing.
Yet every once in awhile someone strikes a perfect balance of pure Chardonnay fruit expression and the deft use of oak that marries classic Chardonnay style with a contemporary mineral-driven flair. When that happens it’s an unbeatable grape. This one from Mt. Eden comes close to some of the better wines of Burgundy.
An introduction of buttered toast, hazelnuts and roasted pear with floral highlights gives way to lemony citrus aromas exhibiting great clarity and focus. In the mouth it’s creamy elegance, soft but vibrant evolving splendidly into a burst of bright mineral matchstick tones and a long graceful finish of green apple.
Sophisticated with a toney, uptown attitude—10 months on the lees in a mix of new and 1 year-old French oak will do that. Full malolactic fermentation.
Toney, up-town sophistication. Only Steely Dan gets this right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XivVggd4utk
Score: 94
Price: $60
Alc: 13.5%
Thanks to the Sommelier Company for making this available.
Exploring the Philosophy of Food and Wine 
Dwight– Link to comments didn’t work on this one. I agree with your assessment of chardonnay. But only if you meant it for young chardonnay. A few California producers do actually mature into something more nuanced and richer after years in the cellar, like a decade. The following are proven long aging chards: Mt. Eden as you wisely pointed out, becomes something more like a lush Montrachet. Have not had an aged one in a long time, and perhaps they have a different potential now. But your review bodes well for them. Hanzell is a superb ager. I had the 1974 in 1988 and it was sublime. I had the 2004 in 2014 and it fooled many French people in my blind tasting who thought it was white Burgundy and were shocked to learn it was from California. Lesser but worthy of notice is Ridge Estate, not Santa Cruz chardonnay. Wilson Daniels had a Napa chardonnay as did a retired auctioneer from Christie’s, but I can;t remember his name right now. Neither in production now. There are probably a few others if I thought harder. Jim Ruxin Village Wine of Brentwood Representing Fine Cellars +01 310-471-7372 office +01 310-617-7372 mobile
Update: The name of the auctioneer was Peter McCoy and I had his reserve chardonnay at 10 years of age. Wonderful from magnum. Jim Ruxin Village Wine of Brentwood Representing Fine Cellars +01 310-471-7372 office +01 310-617-7372 mobile
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From: Edible Arts To: jimruxin@yahoo.com Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2016 10:57 AM Subject: [New post] Wine Review: Mount Eden Chardonnay Santa Cruz 2012 #yiv1386337600 a:hover {color:red;}#yiv1386337600 a {text-decoration:none;color:#0088cc;}#yiv1386337600 a.yiv1386337600primaryactionlink:link, #yiv1386337600 a.yiv1386337600primaryactionlink:visited {background-color:#2585B2;color:#fff;}#yiv1386337600 a.yiv1386337600primaryactionlink:hover, #yiv1386337600 a.yiv1386337600primaryactionlink:active {background-color:#11729E;color:#fff;}#yiv1386337600 WordPress.com | Dwight Furrow posted: “Chardonnay remains the favorite white wine among consumers. But among wine connoisseurs, sommeliers, and wine writers, the anything-but-Chardonnay crowd appears to be winning. The explanation for Chardonnay’s diminishing reputation is not hard to discern.” | |
Hi Jim,
I had to delete and repost this review because of a mistake in the URL. I inserted your comment on that post here.
I agree that good Chardonnay ages marvelously. I never had the opportunity to try Hanzell but I do like the Ridge Estate Chard.
Thanks for your comment