97 Points James Suckling
Extremely rich, ripe and creamy, this luxurious wine ferments and ages in 90% new French barrels, and a majority of the grapes come from Old Wente clone vines from Atlas Peak AVA vineyards. Aromas of butterscotch, vanilla bean, poached pears and toasted baguette lead to an incredibly silky palate of ripe fruit and oak spices that build as you sip and linger long on the finish. Drink or hold.
95 Points Decanter
Having toured Stagecoach vineyard with Pahlmeyer winemaker Katie Vogt and talked at length about her strict focus on expressing site, I couldn't stop thinking about the Chardonnay wines I'd sampled. Near the end of the year, I got my hands on the 2022 release of this iconic label's Chardonnay, and it's the kind of structured, powerful, intensely flavourful Chardonnay that you'd want to stockpile in the cellar. It conveys a duality of power and restraint. Knockout aromas of white peach, pineapple, and salted lemon peel, coconut, and wet stone. Full and rich with an extraordinary depth of sweet, creamy fruit that inundates the palate, suspended by an equally penetrating core of saline minerality infused with a luxurious finish of almond pastry notes, dried apricots, and white flowers. One of the most memorable young Chardonnays I tasted all year. Aged in 100% new Francois Ferrer heavy toast oak barrels. Number four of my top 10 wines of 2023
94 Points Wine Enthusiast
Both richly flavored and mouthwatering, this Chardonnay offers a well balanced expression of a generous style. Juicy, ripe, yellow fruits and sweet pear are pleasantly spiced, carried through a long finish by brightening acidity. Delicious.
94 Points Wine Spectator
Expansive, broad and aromatic, the notes of toasted fennel, lemon thyme, litsea oil and vetiver leap out of the glass, giving way to opulent flavors of grilled peach, caramelized pineapple and spiced, baked apples. Shows power and elegance, with crisp acidity pushing the flavors into clarity and helping them linger on the fresh finish. Drink now through 2037
Winemaker Notes
Our 2022 Chardonnay is a masterful balance of opulence and vibrancy. Stone fruit aromatics give way to a fresh tropical lift with underscoring hints of toasted marshmallow and flint. This Chardonnay is concentrated and focused on the palate, unfurling a rich tapestry of crushed Marcona almond, freshly baked macaroon, and preserved lemon buoyed by dynamic acidity. The palate is textured and rich while bright and lively, with intense, ever-evolving flavors that linger through the finish. Exhibiting a full, layered palate upon release, this wine will continue to gain detail and depth over the next 5-7 years of careful cellaring.
