2019 Bootlegger’s Hill Vineyard Chardonnay
93 points
Wine Spectator
From one of the coolest sites we work with on a high ridge just east of the town of Occidental, this Chardonnay is floral, fruity, rich and crisp. The nose shows lemon citrus zest, cardamom-clove notes, fresh peach and apricot along with a touch of distant campfire smoke notes before revealing Honeysuckle and spicy carnations. The palate is lean, crisp and dry, while maintaining a core of oily richness that is beguilingly dense and lingering before the profound acidity clears the way for the next sip.
2019 has proven to be an excellent year. The modestly wet winter lead to an unusual spring with six inches of rain falling in late May. The extra water caused particularly strong vine canopy growth necessitating extra leaf pulling to improve air flow and suppress diseases. No significant problems persisted as the vines moved into a delightful summer, with nicely warm days tempered by cool afternoon winds from the Pacific. Crop levels were average, with most sites needing very little thinning to achieve optimum balance. Harvest weather was particularly pleasant, with the fruit ripening evenly, and critically, not too quickly. The 2019 wines are showing rich, supple structures with fine grained, plush tannins supported by juicy, fresh fruit flavors and clearly defined vineyard characters. These precocious, delicious wines should require less cellar time to tame their softer tannins before reaching an ideal drinking stage.
Planted in 2007 by renowned winegrower Charlie Chenoweth, this is the growing into one of the finest single vineyard Chardonnays in the Patz & Hall portfolio. Situated eight miles from the chilly Pacific Ocean, Bootlegger’s Hill is a very cool site, with shallow Goldridge soils that produce low yields of very small-berried clusters with high acidity. This wine was made entirely from a prized west-facing block of Hyde-Wente clone Chardonnay grown on 420A rootstock.
100% Whole-cluster pressed
100% indigenous yeast fermentations
100% Burgundian French oak barrels (32% new; 68% 1-2-year old)
Bottled without filtration to preserve the wine’s aromas and flavors and enhance aging potential
- Type:
- White
- Varietal:
- Chardonnay
- Region:
- California
- Appellation:
- Russian River Valley
- Vintage:
- 2019
- Blend:
- 100% Chardonnay
- Aging:
- Sur lie aged with regular stirring
- Alcohol:
- 13.6%
- Fermentation:
- 100% malo-lactic fermentation in barrel