1995 Beringer Chardonnay Sbragia Limited Release

Beringer produces three Chardonnay cuvees. The handful of lucky readers who get the chance to taste the rich, quintessentially California Chardonnay Sbragia Limited Release know just how much flavor can be packed into this varietal. The 1995 Chardonnay Sbragia Limited Release takes the intensity of Chardonnay to the maximum. The 1995 Sbragia (named after the talented Beringer winemaker, Ed Sbragia) is essentially a selection of the best barrels of Chardonnay in the Beringer cellars. In 1995, just over 500 cases were produced, most of which is sold directly at the winery. This 100% new French oak, full malolactic, blockbuster style of Chardonnay takes hedonism to the maximum. It exemplifies the definition of "opulence, lavish richness, and ostentatiousness." Despite its huge, rich, viscous style, and massive body and extract, the wine has remarkable balance and purity. It appears this wine requires immediate drinking, but vintages back through 1991 have aged far better than I would have guessed. The last bottle of 1991 I had (in November, 1994) made me look like a stooge for my initial comment that it should be drunk immediately. It had not lost a bit of fruit and was going strong after three years. If you have never tasted the intensity of a great Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Montrachet, check out the Sbragia Limited Release, for about $33 a bottle as opposed to about $600 for a bottle of the DRC Montrachet. (release date, 4/97) This exceptionally well-run winery continues its impressive display of high quality wines in all price ranges and varietal categories. Tel. (707) 963-7115; Fax (707) 963-1735