Light yellow-gold. Leesy, spice-accented aromas of orange, poached pear and iodine, with notes of chamomile and honeysuckle adding complexity. Sappy, chewy orchard fruit and pineapple flavors are braced by tangy acidity, picking up a smoky quality with air. Lush and creamy but also firm, with very good finishing cut and focus. This wine's balance and energy are impressive.

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The 2009 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains is made from declassified barrels from the Horseshoe and Alpine vineyards. It is a round, textured wine endowed with gorgeous aromatic complexity and fine balance. This is a rather soft, seamless style that emphasizes the accessibility of the fruit over the more prominent minerality that is found in some of the estate's other wines.

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A bit fat. I'm tasting butterscotch with a a dash of lemon. The high acidity keeps the wine interesting as I make my way through the bottle, but otherwise this wine seems fairly pedestrian for California chardonnay.