Cameron Hughes Chardonnay Napa Valley Lot 108 2007

Winemaker's Notes:

Notes: Nose of toasty oak, brioche, quince, and lemon custard leaps from the glass. The aromatics are well defined and complex, with a strong backbone of minerality that tickles the nose and really lifts the aromatics out of the glass. Just a baby, this wine does need some time to breathe, so a bit of swirling is in order. On the palate she's broad and lush with intense lemon, grapefruit, and spicy oak. Highly structured, this wine has probably the best aging potential of any Chardonnay we have offered (in fact, it's what its parent winery is known for). Cameron Confidential: Pricing is a rather nebulous subject in the wine world: Some folks are able to obtain customer loyalty over the years that enables them to command stratospheric prices for their limited productions. The winery we sourced this Chardonnay from commands one of the highest prices for Chardonnay in Napa Valley but also manages to sell well over 25,000 cases of it each year—a particularly impressive accomplishment. Now, to be honest, I really do like the wine and I think it ages really well. But, having had the wine numerous times at restaurants (trust me, I never paid for it), the $50+ retail price tag seems high to me and the $120+ price tag in restaurants even more so. That said, this is America—if you can sell 25,000+ cases of wine at $50+ prices, more power to you. Obviously, I am not trying to pooh-pooh this wine, just setting expectations. Its provenance in the hills of Coombsville (just east of Carneros and Oak Knoll disticts) is really exciting. Most folks don't know about Coombsville because the AVA application got caught up in a to-do about what to name it (Tulocay or Coombsville?), but I think it's one of the best places to grow grapes in Napa. Some of the deepest, darkest, best-structured Cabs I have ever tasted hail from this region. It's got the soils (volcanic) and some of the best temperature swings in the Valley without the wind that plagues Carneros.