94 POINTS – International Wine Cellar - Yellow-gold. Stunningly nuanced aromas of smoky lemon, lime, poached pear, licorice and iodine complicated by dusty talc and white flowers. Impressively chewy and deeply concentrated, offering strong citrus and orchard fruit flavors underscored by smoky minerals and succulent herbs. This extremely complex wine has the concentration and balance to reward patience.

94 PTS – Wine Spectator - A lovely integration of seductive smoky vanilla oak with vibrant peach- and pear-laced fruit enlivened by zingy acidity. A full-blown yet elegant and delicious Chardonnay. Drink now through 2011.

93 PTS – Wine Advocate - The three single vineyard Chardonnays are all from top sites, the Hudson and Hyde vineyards in Carneros, and the Russian River’s Ritchie Vineyard. My favorite of this trio is the 2006 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard. It reveals gorgeous acidity, more tropical fruit, nectarine, and orange blossom characteristics, a greenish hue to its color (always a good sign), and long, full-bodied flavors.

Wine maker notes

Located in gently rolling terrain north of CarnerosHighway, the soils are quite heavy clay. Vine selection is Old Wente and Long Vineyards, and the vines range from 7 to 24 years old. The Wente is marked by very small grape clusters, with small berries, and the so-called "hen-and-chick”--large and small berries within the same cluster. The Wente produces a classic, Burgundian-style wine, without the tropical fruit tones of some California Chardonnays. The Long Vineyards selection adds a floral note, and the Hyde Vineyard wines often seem charming and feminine. Hyde Vineyard fruit has structure and density and are therefore able to absorb more oak without being overwhelmed. The wine will see around seventy percent new Burgundian barrels and spend up to twenty-one months in barrel, completely sur lies, before being bottled without filtration.