This is rather beautiful stuff. Clean and direct, light canary in the glass, clear and bright: a golden glow only at the deep end. Grassy nose churning with bitter ire and smoky dry-rub BBQ, meaty and intense despite its transparency and mineral-driven bouquet.
Intense and pointed over the tongue, the slight lychee and heated plum carving chasms of bitter dryness across sullied fruit bruised and ripe. The middle explodes into chalky definition, the plump fruit parting ways with structure but never meandering far from the recipe. It’s all in perfect Chablis-like definition: stunning on some fronts and reticent on others. The aplomb it garners throughout the palate is striking in both its dedication to restraint and clairvoyant *wish-list* sort of Chardonnay goals.
2021 STARS & DUST ‘Old Vine’ Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vyd Santa Maria Valley 14.0
Stephen McConnell 