Structural Perfection

2002 Newton Chardonnay, Napa Valley
Jen’s Notes
$45.00

This chardonnay is unfiltered and uses only wild, indigenous yeasts during the fermentation process. This might help to explain its uniqueness in the world of Chardonnays - not only those produced in Napa, but those produced anywhere on the planet.

More than any other chardonnay I have tasted, this one boasts a perfectly seamless structure, balance and flavor palate. Its nose of tropical fruit and wet rocks hint at a panoply of flavors, including figs, melon, herbal notes, and minerality underneath. The flavors are fantastic, but this wine is all about structure.

Though malolacted, there is almost no buttery flavor. Like everything else about this wine, the malolactic is in perfect harmony with the other elements (unlike some chardonnays, which can have a "pasted-on" butter flavor). In fact, the malolactic appears more in the creamy, rich texture of the wine than in the actual flavors.

The wine finishes long, neither steely nor oaky, with only the barest hint of coffee cake (from Palio, for any of our San Francisco readers).