Winery - Ferrari-Carano
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Vineyard sources for the winery’s reserve tier of Chardonnay have bounced around over the years. Now, it’s Russian River, but this Chard is far from Ferrari-Carano’s best. It has decent peach and apple fruit, but with a thin brittleness inappropriate for this price, and all that new oak doesn’t really help.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Oak is the star of this Chard, to judge by the butterscotch and spicy caramel flavors that take center stage. Somewhere in there is a dessert-like pear compote, but the oak, or maybe it’s the char level, really does seem too strong.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Almost everything you could ask for. A fine full-bodied Chardonnay that borders on voluptuous. Tremendously ripe and full of Alexander Valley power. Flowery on the nose, with plenty of texture and muscular oak framing the fruit. A very good wine from an excellent Chardonnay vintage.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
With fruit sourced from everywhere from Dry Creek to Carneros, this Cabernet-based wine is a good, blended effort, with true varietal character if no particular complexity. It’s balanced, fruity and tannic, but too expensive for what you get.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
One of the best reds for this price on the market, Ferrari-Carano’s ’07 Siena is 78% Sangiovese and 22% Malbec. The Sangiovese is all silky mouthfeel, red cherries and spices, while the Malbec brings color, body and tannins. A lovely, dry and unique wine.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Firm textured, with smoky oak, black currant, licorice and herb highlights. Medium weight, medium length.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Rich and appealing, a new bottling from the winery. All the parts have yet to knit together, but they’re all good, and the wine should drink well by winter 2007. New oak frames tart green apple, pineapple, kumquat and cinnamon spice flavors that are heightened by bright, zesty acidity.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
There’s a minerality to this pleasantly dry Chard, a stony tang that dominates, although you’ll find pineapple underpinnings. It’s a leaner, more elegant style, and the winemaker has tried to enrich it with oak, sur lie aging and 50% malolactic fermentation.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Tastes of new oak and is also acidic, a combo that makes the mouthfeel rather harsh and salty, despite obviously well-ripened fruit. May settle down and show softer, lusher notes in a year or so.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Don’t let the orangish rim color fool you. Aromas of cedar and mint followed by flavors of leather and cassis last on a dry, dark-earth finish. A lack of hangtime for the fruit made for a hard wine.
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