2015 Napa Valley Chardonnay

A barrel sample to be bottled around July 2018, the 2015 Chardonnay gives up peach blossoms, apricot preserves, honeycomb and croissant with touches of cashews and jasmine. Full-bodied, rich, opulent and seductive, it has a gorgeous creamy texture and very long, very spicy finish.

The 2015 Chardonnay is super-polished, refined and delicate. Even though the wine was sulfured about a month before this tasting, the flavors are remarkably pure. On the palate, the 2015 feels a bit linear, but that is almost certainly attributable to the sulfur. Candied lemon peel, white flowers and mint grace the exquisite, nuanced finish. John Kongsgaard adds that the fermentations were very slow in 2015 for this wine.