Bright yellow-gold. Knockout nose combines roasted grain, iodine, coconut, smoke and orange peel. Explosive sweet fruit in the mouth; thick but vibrant. A wine of huge extract. Amazingly smooth but spicy finish. A shockingly good early showing for this wine. Great California chardonnay.

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I have always been a fan of the flamboyant, gaudy Chardonnay from the Hudson Vineyard, and Kistler's 1996 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard is one of the more opulently-styled wines in this portfolio, with a smoky, buttery, tropical fruit-scented nose, thick, juicy, succulent flavors, adequate acidity, and a lusty, pure, plump, layered finish. It is one of the more forward Kistler Chardonnays, yet should age well for 3-4 years. All the Kistler Chardonnays are made in a Burgundian manner. They are barrel-fermented, given full malolactic fermentation, extensive lees stirring, racked out of their barrels following a year's cask aging, and allowed to settle in tank until bottling, which usually occurs without any fining or filtration. All of the wines reviewed in this segment were tasted from tank as they were awaiting bottling early next year.

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There's a wonderful range of ripe, exotic, complex flavors in this wine--tiers of concentrated earthy pear, citrus, fig and apricot--and it exhibits an elegance and finesse rarely achieved in California Chardonnay. Just wish there was more of it.282 cases made.

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