2014 Chardonnay Clare

The 2014 Chardonnay Clare has a white peach, preserved lemons and yuzu-scented nose with underlying touches of cedar, buttered toast and shaved almonds. The palate is bold and intensely fruited with a pleasant oiliness, yet it is medium-bodied, finishing long with lovely purity.

The 2014 Chardonnay Clare Hyde Vineyard is gorgeous, but it is also tightly wound and reticent. Readers will have to be patient here. Smoke, slate, graphite, earthiness and dried herbs wrap around a core of orchard fruit. This is a decidedly virile, powerful style, but all the elements are very nicely balanced.