Dry Creek Vineyard

I’m still not sure how they pulled this off: a big barrel-fermented Chardonnay from a big-time appellation that’s refreshing, vivid, and just 13.5% alcohol. Part of it has to be the vintage, which mesmerized (some say “terrorized”) growers with intermittent rain all the way to the summer solstice. That just doesn’t happen in Russian River Valley. Then it got hot and stayed hot. The foggy appellation tempered the weird weather, though, and there was not only abundant fruit but abundant flavor in the berries, particularly for those who picked late into October.

This wine shows what a white wine wizard like Bill Knuttel can do under those conditions. It’s got big pear, apple and honey/hazelnut aromas that can hold serious oak, a big body, big flavor, and a plush entry. Yet even when the wood emerges from the mix in the mid-palate to darken the fruit profile a bit, the wine stays light on its feet and flows as much as it fills your palate. I particularly liked the refreshing ping of fruit flavor that rings through the finish. If you like the California style of barrel-fermented Chardonnay, try this.

Reviewed May 7, 2007 by Thom Elkjer.