2022 Chanin - Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Chardonnay planted 1973, ungrafted, on south-facing limestone and gravel at 300 ft. Aged 18 months in barrel, racked once, bottled unfiltered. Lots of acidity. Quite chewy. Still very youthful but extremely promising. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Always one of the finer renditions of this site, the 2022 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard leads with a poised, focused nose that highlights this site's signature bouquet of white pepper set against a stony, citrus-curd backdrop. The palate combines floating precision with grounded depth, finishing with an intensely focused mineral spine supported by powerful dexterity. Given this wine's track record, it will reward a year or two in bottle and deliver a beautiful drinking experience over the next decade.
As expected, the 2022 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard is more mineral-driven and masculine, with a perfumed nose of stone fruits, honeyed melon, sappy herbs, and flowers, with some background mineral and very subtle marine-like nuances. Medium-bodied, fresh, focused, and elegant on the palate, it has nicely integrated acidity, beautiful balance, and outstanding length. Drink bottles over the coming 7-8 years.
The 2022 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard is bright, aromatic and penetrating, with terrific cut that drives right through the mid-palate and finish. Lemon confit, slate, crushed flowers and white pepper all race through the mouth. This taut, expressive Chardonnay has so much to offer. Gavin Chanin certainly got the most out of his fruit from I and L Blocks.