2008 Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Bright yellow-gold. White peach, melon and honey on the nose, with a floral nuance that gains strength with air. Round and juicy, offering open-knit honeydew and pit fruit flavors and a touch of honeysuckle. A sneaky note of lemon rind adds cut and firmness to the persistent, sappy finish. This is the most approachable of this year's set of chardonnays.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
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The 2008 Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard reveals copious aromas of white peaches, crushed rocks, nectarines and citrus blossoms in a grand cru Chablis-like style. Drink this beauty over the next 7-8 years. Not only have the 2008s lived up to or exceeded their potential from last year’s barrel tastings, the 2009s appear to be fabulous as well. Of course, 2008 was a much more challenging vintage and 2009 was a cool year, much like 2005, with slightly lower alcohols and higher yields than the short crop of 2008. All of the 2009 Chardonnays finished with around 14+% alcohol levels and had more minerality than usual. Kistler’s bottled 2008s were all concentrated. The 2008 Chardonnays have the potential to last even longer than the 2009s given the fact that they are even more concentrated than those wines. Tel. (707) 823-5603; Fax (707) 823-6709
About the producer
Kistler’s Chardonnays are some of the world’s most sought-after. This cult Californian producer crafts small volumes of exceptional, rich and generous, yet mineral and precise wines. With almost the entire production sold directly to their mailing list, the wines are also incredibly hard to find.