2023 Rhys Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard
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From the Deep End of the appellation, the 2023 Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard is from heritage clones and brimming in natural acidity and minerality. The coolness of the year truly accentuates the inherent complexity and breezy crispness of the wine, remarkable in its fine-tuned pear and apple flavors and hint of anise, similar to the prior vintage. Still, there's something even more compelling this time around, an ethereal elegance that persists on the lengthy palate of medium-bodied beauty that will remain on your mind forever. Drink now through 2035.
Critic scores
Average Score
Matthew Luczy, Wine Advocate
Virginie Boone, jebdunnuck.com
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard is the most approachable of the vineyard-designate Chardonnays in this range, generously proportioned with ample orchard fruit yet driven by the same lifted freshness that infuses all the 2023s here. A linear, taut finish provides a nice contrast to the Bearwallow’s overall rounded feel on the palate. Drink this while you wait for the Santa Cruz Mountains bottlings to uncoil.
The 2023 Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard is quietly intense on the nose, unfurling a bouquet of yellow orchard fruits, oystershell and anise accents. In the mouth, it is dynamic, suave and pliable, seemingly moving to an electric finish that retains a rounded, svelte texture with a gentle undercurrent of minerality. As is typical, this exudes a touch less tensile intensity than the Chardonnay bottlings from the Santa Cruz Mountains, making it an ideal candidate for earlier consumption.