1992 Upper Barn Chardonnay

The 1992 Chardonnay Upper Barn Gauer Vineyard exhibits a spectacular bouquet of honeyed fruit, roasted hazelnuts, full-bodied, opulently rich, chewy flavors, fabulous purity and delineation, and a finish that lasts for almost a full minute. The new oak is brilliantly integrated, and the overall impression is one of extraordinary richness and expansiveness, without any heaviness. The wine spends nearly a year on its lees and is then bottled with minimal racking, no filtration, and little or no fining. This profound Chardonnay should drink well for 5 years. Helen Turley is the super-talented winemaker behind the wines of Marcassin. She is capably assisted by her husband, John Wetlaufer, who directs the fine restaurant/wine shop known as the All Seasons Cafe in Calistoga. With her emphasis on wild yeasts and unmanipulative winemaking techniques that stress low yields and an absence of any fining or filtration, Ms. Turley is having a profoundly positive influence on the direction of California winemaking. Her sublime Chardonnays are among the best made in California, or anywhere else in the world. At a tasting held a few days before I dictated these notes, her 1992 Gauer Vineyard Chardonnay embarrassed a series of 1989 grand crus from Burgundy's Cote d'Or. Her wines represent the exceptional heights California winemaking can achieve, but her risky style of winemaking is not for everybody. Marcassin also produced a microscopic quantity of 1992 Chardonnay from the Hudson Vineyard. It may be the richest of all the 1992 Marcassins, with an exceptional aromatic and flavor profile. I only tasted it once, rating it a show-stopping 97. The only retail shop where readers are likely to find any of these wines is the All Seasons Cafe and Market in Calistoga. Virtually the only method of obtaining Marcassin's wines is to be placed on their mailing list (address: P.O. Box 332, Calistoga, CA 94515; telephone 707-258-3608; telefax 707-942-5633). If you are interested in California Chardonnay that is more complete, complex, and compelling than all but a handful of the greatest white burgundies, be sure to get your name on the mailing list.