2016 Foxen Chardonnay Tinaquaic Vineyard
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The 2016 Chardonnay Tinaquaic Vineyard comes from a site in the Santa Maria Valley and was aged 25% new 500-liter French oak barrels. This medium gold-colored effort offers a classic orchard fruit, white flower, brioche, and mineral-laced bouquet. It's medium to full-bodied, has beautiful purity of fruit and integrated acidity, with the rounded, sexy style of the vintage front and center.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Chardonnay Tinaquaic Vineyard is very pretty. Sage, hazelnut and lemon confit give the wine striking aromatic nuance. Bright, translucent and delicate in the glass, the 2015 has a lot to offer. Own-rooted vines in this parcel always yield a distinctive Chardonnay, as is once again the case in 2016.
The 2016 Chardonnay Tinaquaic Vineyard reveals aromas of fresh apples, white flowers and struck match. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, with edgy acids and nice concentration but a slightly soapy finish that may just be due to its comparatively recent bottling. I'd expect it to show better in six months' time.