Pahlmeyer 2021 Chardonnay Napa Valley

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Description

A luxurious Napa Valley Chardonnay: creamy yet clear, ripe yet spirited, and backed by refined oak and bright acids. Highly acclaimed and built to impress as both an immediate indulgence and a wine to savor over time. 🍇 Origins & Winemaking Sourced from select high-altitude Napa Valley vineyards—Estate, Stagecoach, Antica, Hudson, and Hyde—hand-harvested at night for optimal freshness. Whole-cluster pressing, native-yeast fermentation, and aged ~12 months on lees in 100% new French oak with regular bâtonnage. Bottled unfined and unfiltered to preserve natural complexity  👃 Aromatics Bold and expressive: ripe gooseberry, lemongrass, sweet clover, and orange blossom honey take center stage, layered with toasted almond and flint/smoky nuance  👅 Palate & Texture Lush and concentrated yet crisp—flavors of lemon tart, baked spiced pear, toffee, toasted almond, and salted caramel. Seamless structure from creamy lees and polished oak tannins  🍂 Finish & Aging Long, expressive finish echoing honeysuckle and tart citrus. Balanced vibrancy suggests drinking now through ~2028, with further elegance if cellared  🌟 Ratings & Reviews 98 pts, James Suckling: “sliced cooked apples … salted caramel … one of the best I have tasted”  94 pts, Wine Spectator: praised for its smoky oak, toasty nut, honeyed finish  93–94 pts, Wine Enthusiast: “effusive, ripe and buttery… tropical fruit flavors and a full body”  "Sliced cooked apples with biscuit and pie crust undertones, as well as hints of spices with some salted caramel. Hints of apricot. Full-bodied with a firmness and depth. Creamy-textured phenolics and great length. One of the best I have tasted. It is rich and flavorful, yet it shows great depth and length. Drinkable, but better in two or three years." James Suckling 98 Points "The price has almost quintupled since the 1991 played an instrumental role in the film "Disclosure" (1994; Michael Douglas, Demi Moore), but Pahlmeyer's 2021 Chardonnay remains a stunningly seductive wine. All barrel fermented and matured 11 months in 91% new French oak—mostly François Frères—bottled unfixed and unfiltered, it boasts an intoxicating perfume of gently toasted brioche, roasted cashews and hazelnuts, grilled pear and pineapple. In the mouth, it's medium to full-bodied, concentrated and dense, yet silky and fine, with a lingering, elegant finish. Fruit sources include the Pahlmeyer Estate Vineyard but also Stagecoach, Antica, Hudson and Hyde." Robert Parker 95 Points "Packs an exotic note of litsea oil and a hint of flint, which becomes a smoky grace note for the core of ripe pear, lemon sherbet, makrut lime leaf, sweet grass, salted caramel and toffee. Reveals honeysuckle elements that linger on the long, expressive finish, with a fresh thread of acidity. Drink now through 2028. 2,868 cases made." Wine Spectator 94 Points

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