Winery - Stony Hill
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Disappointingly thin this vintage. The palate expects a rush of fruit, but encounters watery grapefruit and lime flavors and acidity. The rich floral and riper tree fruit notes just aren’t there.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Stony Hill Chards are famous for their longevity, but the price of that is hardness in youth. This is a mineral-laden, acidic young wine. The fruit has barely begun clawing its way to the surface. I’ve had Stony Hill Chards at 20-plus years of age and they were fabulous. Best after 2010.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Here’s dessert in a glass. Smells apricotty and botrytisy and vanilla-honeyed, and drinks rich in nectar. This makes it sound astoundingly sweet, but it’s not. Tastes like sautéed bananas, caramelized in butter, flamed in amaretto, and served on top of vanilla ice cream.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Made since 1957, always rich, complex and steely, and one of the state’s great agers, this year’s release is an extraordinary Riesling. Its flowery, peach and jasmine aromas and flavors and streak of mineral are delicately perched between dry and off-dry. Zesty acidity provides vital balance.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Smells like a walk through a candy shop filled with gingerbread cookies, vanilla wafers and white chocolate fudge. Oh, and there’s a flower shop next door, which explains the honeysuckle and gardenia. Yet it’s dry and crisp, and the flavors are modestly citrus and apricot. Elegant and foodworthy.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
So different from most other Gewürzes, which can be overly sweet and flamboyant. This one’s pert in acids, and only hints at flavors of mangoes, peaches and various wildflowers. Has a fresh-lime minerality that’s appealing.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Here’s a firm, crisp Riesling, made Alsatian style. It’s basically dry, with lime and peach flavors and flashes of green apple and steel. Try with grilled trout.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
One of California's longest-lived Chards, this mountain wine always starts out tight and lemon-spicy, with bracing acidity. Sprightly and drinkable now, with dry, citrusy flavors and sweet oaky vanillans, it will improve with many years of cellaring.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Always lean and sharp in youth, this year’s vintage is even leaner than usual. It has citrus and herb flavors undercut by searing acidity, and is bitterly dry. Almost Sauvignon Blanc-like in its profile, and not likely to age.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Tough, light, bone dry and acidic, with pretty spice and floral notes, but rather thin on the fruit. You’ll find diluted citrus flavors just veering into peach.
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