Beringer Vineyards Chardonnay "Stone Cellars" Wit Verenigde Staten 2008

The 2008 Chardonnay Private Reserve continues the success Beringer has enjoyed with this program. Notes of brioche, hazelnut, marmalade, honeyed tropical fruit, buttered citrus, and a gentle touch of smoke are found in this full-bodied, concentrated wine with impressive purity, depth, and length. It should drink well for 4-5 years.

Bright, pale yellow. Sexy aromas of musky pineapple, citrus rind and honey. Rich, broad and ripe, with nutty stone fruit, vanilla and hazelnut flavors complicated by a mineral component and a suggestion of exotic fruits.

Beringer's premier Chardonnay frequents our Top 100 (it was No. 1 in 1996) and as the 2006 shows, the Beringer winemaking team can produce an excellent wine even in a challenging year. Harvesting from three different vineyards and aging the lots separately in 77 percent new French oak, winemaker Laurie Hook blended a rich and complex white with layers of flavor, texture and finesse.

94 Points - The Wine Advocate The 2008 Chardonnay Private Reserve continues the success Beringer has enjoyed with this program. Notes of brioche, hazelnut, marmalade, honeyed tropical fruits, buttere

The 2004 Chardonnay Private Reserve is a surprisingly tightly knit Chardonnay by Beringer's standards, with notes of lemon oil, orange blossom, apple pie, and brioche in a full-bodied style with some tropical fruit but good underlying acidity and fleshy texture. It seems that Sbragia has cut back on the oak, and the wine shows more of a steely minerality than in the past. It is still a big, relatively extroverted Chardonnay to consume over the next 2-3 years.

Smoky, toasty oak aromas show riper, richer fruit flavors on the palate, with ripe fig, melon, apricot and spice nuances. The flavors turn delicate and complex on the finish. Drink now through 2010.

Rich and unctuous, with ripe, intense smoked pineapple, toasted cumin, hazelnut and nutmeg. Finishes with a solid dose of oak, but it holds together nicely. Drink now.