Winery - Hartford Court
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The vineyard is in the interior part of the appellation, toward Carneros, and the wine displays the firm, acidic minerality of that cool, foggy region. It has fantastic limpidity. The oak is remarkable for the purity of vanilla and smoky honey, while the underlying flavors of Meyer lemons, pineapples, nectarines and kumquats are decadently good. A masterpiece of Chardonnay.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The vineyard is near the northwest edge of the Sonoma Coast, a wild, rugged mountainous region whose personality seems stamped on the wine. It’s enormously rich in Dijonesque fruit, offering an array of red and black currants, cherries, pomegranates, anise, cinnamon and pepper. For all the opulence, the wine is dry and balanced. But it’s just a baby. Hold until late 2010, if you can.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This one’s a prime example of how fat overripeness is yielding to a leaner balance and elegance. Not that there’s anything austere about this luscious Chard, with its white apricot, citron, guava and mineral flavors. It’s a terrific wine and showcases Hartford Court at its best.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Bone dry, high in acidity, minerally and stony like granite, with the essence of Meyer lemon and green pears, and a leesy, Champagne-like doughiness. There’s toasty oak in the background. Elegant and complex now, and should ride out the next decade.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Seascape is perhaps the winery’s coldest vineyard, right in the path of the wind blast coming in off Bodega Bay. You can taste the Pacific chill in the high acidity that makes the fruit so pure and intense. The flavors, of Meyer lemons, lime zest and stony minerals, are bracing, and the finish is absolutely, thoroughly dry. This is a sommelier’s dream of a Chardonnay.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This isn’t one of Hartford’s single-vineyard Chards, but a blend from around RRV. It’s a very elegant, balanced wine, with complexity and charm; 100% barrel fermented, it shows oak-influenced flavors of Meyer lemons, pineapple sorbet and rich Gravenstein apple butter.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Most of the grapes came from the Annapolis Vineyard, with some from Seascape. While the vintage was cool, it gave incredibly long hangtime. Dry, crisp and delicate, the wine has a silky voluptuousness that makes it irresistible, with pie-filling cherry and black raspberry flavors finished with Asian spice. New French oak adds toast and vanilla sweetness. It’s expensive, but still a bargain.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is from the winery’s Annapolis vineyard. It’s a very fine and interesting Pinot, showing the acidic, elegant structure of true coast Pinot, and exotic flavors of wild raspberries, red cherries, licorice, sweet leather, tea and Asian spices. All this, in a lightly silky, eminently drinkable texture.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
From the southern part of the valley, near Sebastopol, comes this young, juicy, crisp Pinot. It’s marked by fruit. The freshly crushed flavors of ripe raspberries and cherries are enormously attractive, accented with toasty oak and Asian spices. But the wine has a youthful, acidic tightness that suggests aging. Best now, with decanting, and for six years.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is a very serious Pinot Noir, one that will benefit from cellaring despite the drink-me-now deliciousness. It’s not just the fruit, which is deeply satisfying in cherries, raspberries, sweet rhubarb pie, blood oranges and juicy pomegranates. It’s the structure. Crisp acids and silky tannins create a near-perfect architecture. Elegant and sophisticated, this wine should develop additional complexities for at least six years, with proper cellaring.
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