Well I certainly didn’t see that one coming. I even had a backup planned. This thing’s been in my cellar forever, I don’t even remember where I got it or maybe somebody brought it to my house or perhaps I bought it when they were closing their tasting room in downtown Healdsburg. I bought a bunch of stuff from them then. Anyway I’ve been planning to drink it forever– have handled it probably 20 times in the last 10 years. I remember thinking about giving it away, or taking it to a party years ago, but there it sat.
Oh my God is it gorgeous. It is absolutely pristine. I’m not sure if this is their cheapest Chardonnay–the Alexander Valley–I feel like they probably had at least a Sonoma County, possibly even a North Coast below this one and I imagine they made a Russian River Valley as well.
Not ridiculously dark; honestly not really any darker than the 2017 Smith-Madrone I opened a couple days ago. Beautiful nutty rich nose, vibrant and achingly graphite and green woody. Creamy delicious pear and red delicious apple.
In the mouth ridiculously concentrated and decadent sweet: syrupy luxury in in a package still amazingly acidic and tannic. The structure still etches your mouth wiping away all of the rich fruit.
It is quite easily–of all the fairly inexpensive chardonnays I’ve forgotten in my cellar for over a decade–easily the best showing of all of them. This thing is flat out gorgeous. An incredible wine and I think honestly it could go another 10 years. Absolutely speechless about this one. I wish you could taste it, that’s the only way you’d believe it.
2007 CHATEAU SOUVERAIN #Chardonnay #AlexanderValley #sonomawine California 13.9
From memory, I don’t think #chateausouverain or #souverain has an Instagram. They have no marketing, I think they have a website but it’s total bullshit like two $7 wines. It’s just an absolutely embarrassing ghost of the stellar brand it once was dating all the way back to the class of ’70 in St. Helena and over to the beautiful place many of you visited and remember that FFC bought and ruined. Oh well… here’s to dead brands who once held their head high. You kids don’t understand this yet, but it will happen to you too.
Stephen McConnell 