Log in or create an account now and be a part of the world's largest wine site Research, rate and review wines; buy online; receive personalized recommendations.
Saintsbury Reserve Chardonnay(2000)
- Winery:
- Saintsbury
- Varietal:
- Chardonnay
- Region:
- USA > California > Napa > Carneros
- Type:
- White Wine
- User Tags:
- white grape, chardonnay, stone fruits, resinous, oak, fruit, (tree) fruit, rich, complex, aged
-
June 2007
- Since 1981, Saintsbury has aimed at producing a Chardonnay that is at once full-flavored and rich, yet possesses a freshness that keeps the wine light on its feet. The winery and vineyards are located in Carneros, on the northern cusp of the San Pablo Bay, where the moderate climate allows the fruit to ripen slowly. Chardonnay grown in Carneros typically develops classic Chardonnay fruit flavors and produces wines with nicely focused flavors. At Saintsbury, the Chardonnay juice is fermented in French oak barrels (made in Chardonnay's native region, Burgundy). The wines complete malo-lactic read more...fermentation in barrel and are aged sur lie, adding roundness to the mouth feel and complexity to the aroma. The Reserve Chardonnay is a blend of selected barrels from the richest and most concentrated lots. The 1999 Reserve Chardonnay aged 13 months in barrel - 40% of these barrels were new, the balance were one year old. The wines were stirred regularly until malolactic fermentation was complete - with some post-malolactic stirring - and then allowed to age on their lees until bottling. Since the 1992 vintage, the Reserve Chardonnay has been bottled without filtration. The 1999 vintage was bottled in December of 2000. The wine is rich, with flavors and aromas reminiscent of pears and nectarines seasoned with some sweet oak. It is lush and creamy for present enjoyment, but has the structure and acidity for laying down. This California Chardonnay is elegant and complex, weaving together a subtle array of ripe peach, apricot, dried fig and pretty, vanilla-scented oak. The best part is the finish, where the delicate flavors linger with vibrancy. Drink now through 2006. -Wine Spectator (hide)
-
June 2007
- Carneros, located just north of the San Pablo Bay, is noted for its cool, breezy summer afternoons and the fine Chardonnay that grows here. Having terroir is a way of saying the wine has the character of the vineyard. There are approximately 6,000 vineyard acres in Carneros and though the moderate climate is well suited to a number of varieties, nearly half are planted to Chardonnay. Soil composition plays an equal role in the quality of the wines. Carneros soils tend to be dense, and shallow, with low to moderate fertility. Chardonnay grown in Carneros is typically ripe with flavor profiles that read more...range from citrus and tropical fruit flavors to lovely, more subtle stone fruits, like peach and nectarine. At Saintsbury, the Chardonnay is fermented in French oak barrels and aged sur lie for about eight months. Thirty percent of these barrels are new; the balance has been used once or twice before. During the aging process, the barrels are stirred (batonnage) to increase yeast contact for added richness. The wine also completes malolactic fermentation in the barrel, which can add roundness to the mouthfeel and complexity to the aroma. Saintsbury has asked the question to filter or not to filter Chardonnay since the 1992 vintage. Following the success of a small unfiltered bottling of the 1993 vintage, we have chosen to bottle each subsequent vintage without filtration. The wines show much more vibrant fruit character and rich mouthfeel, particularly in the first year of release, than their filtered predecessors. The 2000 vintage was no disappointment after the superior 1999. This vintage has brighter fruit, is fresh and lively with similar weight as the 1999, and while enjoyable now, will benefit from cellaring. (hide)
- Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wines
- Jun-06
- 89/100
-
June 2007
- James Laube
- Wine Spectator
- 02/28/03
- 90/100
-
February 2003
- Wine Advocate # 150
- Dec-03
- 90/100
-
April 2008
