The 2020 Russian River Valley Chardonnay just received a 93-point rating by reviewer MaryAnn Worobiec in the article “California Chardonnay: Refinement and Elegance” in the latest issue of Wine Spectator’s Insider Weekly. Worobiec says the wine has “terrific intensity and juiciness on a sleek, mouthwatering frame.”

“California Chardonnay: Refinement and Elegance”
2020 MacRostie Russian River Valley Chardonnay

It is a golden age for California Chardonnay. More and more wines are showing refinement and elegance, but not at the expense of bold fruit flavors, complexity or power. Many of the examples in this week’s Insider edition show tremendous amounts of pure and fresh fruit flavors, propelled by fresh acidity that will aid in their ageability. Plenty of winemakers are also showing a deft hand when it comes to the use of oak barrels—notes of butter, cream, spice and vanilla add grace notes, rather than overwhelming the core of the wines’ fruit flavors.

Many of these wines showcase single-vineyard expressions and how Chardonnay can transmit terroir. The two top-scoring wines, from HdV and Kistler, as well as one of Ramey’s bottlings, hail from the famed Hyde Vineyard at the eastern edge of Carneros, where vines range in age from 28 to 40 years. Other wines, like the MacRostie Russian River Valley Chardonnay, are regional expressions of multiple vineyards, blended together for added complexity.

“Distinctive and aromatic, with jasmine, orange blossom and fresh lime zest flavors that are fragrant and precise, plus terrific intensity and juiciness on a sleek, mouthwatering frame. Features succulent notes of lemon curd and peach at the core. Drink now through 2032.”

March 30, 2022
MaryAnn Worobiec, WineSpectator.com

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