2020 CHEV Chardonnay
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The 2020 Chardonnay was matured for 15 months in 26% new French oak. It has ripe aromas of tropical fruit, jasmine, honey and brown sugar. The full-bodied palate is textural and weighty with honeyed fruit, surprising acidity, and it has a touch of bitterness and warmth on the finish. Drink it over the next year or two. 760 cases produced.
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Wine Enthusiast
Jeb Dunnuck
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The 2020 Chardonnay Russian River Valley is a golden hue, with ripe aromas of fresh pear, toasted spices, and wet asphalt. This full-bodied white is lush with pure butterscotch, ripe apple, and honeyed citrus, and it’s long on the palate, with freshness as well as richness. Drink 2023-2030. From winemaker Michael Browne, also of CIRQ and co-founder of Kosta Browne, CHEV currently produces four wines, a Pinot and Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley, another Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills, and now a Pinot Noir from Oregon.
Elegant, well-balanced and silky in texture, this graceful wine eases baked apples, vanilla and macadamia nut across the palate, buoyed by light acidity, leading to a lingering finish. Fermented and aged in a combo of new and used concrete eggs, amphora and French oak.