2019 The Judge Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Chardonnay The Judge 4 Year is a single barrel of wine that spent an additional two years in barrel, with no racking. Powerful and savory, the 2021 packs a serious punch. Dried apricot, chamomile, dried herbs, tangerine oil and marzipan are some of the notes that gradually open in the glass. More than anything else, the 4 Year is built on texture. It's an intriguing wine, although I confess I like the regular bottling more. Sadly, this wine was only bottled in magnum, so this note will mostly be of academic interest, given that the wine will be hard to find.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
MaryAnn Worobiec, Wine Spectator
More reviews and scores
Medium lemon. Absolutely gorgeous nose – rich lemon cream, butterscotch pudding, vanilla and grey salt. The fruit is ripe but so incredibly perfect with a solid acid line straight through the finish. Oak use is gratuitous yet the fruit holds up well. It could use another year to integrate before broaching. (SCJ)
Big and bold, with plenty of presence, this packs a punch of lemon curd, dried pineapple and Fuji apple flavors, whose intensity is equally matched with notes of mineral, grey sea salt, toasted sesame seed, orange blossom, wildflower honey, spice and tarragon. Reveals a hint of litsea oil on the long, expressive finish. Drink now through 2030. 300 cases made. Published on July 31, 2022
The 2019 Chardonnay The Judge offers an intriguing mix of textural richness and energy. Lemon confit, white flowers, almond and dried flowers emerge with a bit of time in the glass, but readers should be in no rush. The 2019 is clearly holding its cards close to the vest. That is probably a very good thing for the future. This dense, beautifully layered Chardonnay has a very bright future ahead of it.