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Stony Hill 2015 Chardonnay Napa Valley 13%
I remember the first time I visited Stony Hill and Sarah McCrea, daughter of the founders and the Sales and Marketing Director, told me that they try to emulate Chablis in their Chardonnay. Honestly, I’ve never seen that in their young wines, but I have noticed some petrol-y and waxy characters in their older wines that aren’t far from it. (Mind you, I’m pretty picky about Chablis! I love the region and its wines and spend a lot of time there.)

But now, for the first time, I see that whisper of Chablis in the Stony Hill 2015 Chardonnay. It smells of crushed oyster shells, fresh straw and white cherries. It doesn’t take a copious mouthful to perfume the palate with daffodils, yellow plum skins and pomelo peel. The structure plays a fascinating give and take between crisp pithiness and a lightly coating texture that permeates this wine’s array of flavors from the first drops through the significant finish. This is supremely elegant Napa Chardonnay.
Drink: 2018-25