2018 Chardonnay Durell Vineyards
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard has a lush, open-knit nose of mushroom paste, charcuterie, wet hay, crushed almonds, spring blossoms and a core of ripe orchard fruits. In the mouth, it has a medium weight and silky texture and explodes with savory, honeyed flavor layers, seamlessly fresh and finishing long and uplifted. Wow!
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
From a site located near the nexus of Carneros, Sonoma Valley, and the Sonoma Coast, the 2018 Chardonnay Durell is a richer, broader Chardonnay that offers loads of mulled Meyer lemons, brioche, and honeysuckle notes as well as nicely integrated oak, medium to full body, plenty of toasty, nutty nuances, and a great finish. This classic, rich, powerful Sonoma Chardonnay does everything right. It will pick up even more complexity with a year or so of bottle age and evolve gracefully for a decade.
The 2018 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard is wonderfully perfumed and light on its feet. Tangerine oil, apricot, chamomile and yellow orchard fruit show a brighter side of Chardonnay, and yet the Durell remains striking in its resonance and vibrancy. A bit of youthful austerity needs to soften, so I would cellar the 2018 for another year or two. It is fascinating to taste the Stone Flat and the Durell together. One of the differences between the two parcels is the choice of rootstocks. This portion of the vineyard employs 3309 rootstock.
About the producer
Kistler’s Chardonnays are some of the world’s most sought-after. This cult Californian producer crafts small volumes of exceptional, rich and generous, yet mineral and precise wines. With almost the entire production sold directly to their mailing list, the wines are also incredibly hard to find.