2013 Under The Wire Chardonnay Alder Springs Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 2013 Sparkling Chardonnay Alder Springs Vineyard is a powerhouse. Golden apple, limestone, sea salt and marine herbs forcefully jet through the palate, riding a wave of tense, mineral-driven acidity that really kicks on the afterburner through the finish. The 2013 is a seriously complex wine that's still alive and well.
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Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2013 Alder Springs is powerful, dense and expansive. Apricot, chamomile, honey and dried herbs fill out the wine's frame nicely. This is an especially ample, broad style for a Chardonnay-based sparkling wine, but it works.
The 2013 Sparkling Chardonnay Alder Springs Vineyard was fermented with indigenous yeast, with malolactic blocked, and was disgorged with only one gram of dosage, so this is quite dry. Loads of creamy brioche, Red Delicious apple skin, Triscuit and some subtle, smoky orange and nectarine notes are all present in this medium-bodied sparkler with small, uniform bubbles and a zesty effervescence. There’s also an underlying minerality to it. This is impressive. Drink it over the next several years.