Fall Release Hyde Vineyard Clare Chardonnay
2011

Winemaker’s Notes

Our 2011 Clare bottling is slightly different to its leaner 2010 predecessor, being more in line with its 2006 and 2008 counterparts. It’s the ripest and richest of our 2011 Chardonnay offerings and a strong contender for wine of the vintage. It strongly conveys a clear sense of Hyde Vineyard’s natural site signature with great richness balanced by pinpoint, pulsating acidity. All the component parts are perfectly harmonious, integrated and marching to the same beat. There’s a little more barrel influence here, with soft smoky baked bread notes and layers of texture from the extended malolactic fermentation that took ten months to complete. With extended aeration, the wine is all honey and lemon curd richness but that taut spine of natural acidity keeps everything in balance right through to the long expanding finish. It really is a classic beauty and a wine not to be missed this year from one of California’s greatest Chardonnay vineyards.

Brilliant pale straw color. Explosively aromatic: spring blossoms, fresh cut grass, honeysuckle, apricot, lemon sherbet and lilies. Wave upon wave of luscious fruit and breezy savory notes cascade on the palate: orange marmalade, white peach, baked apple – all tangy and delicious. Hints of lanolin, quince richness and honey develop. Fresh saline oyster shell notes and tense bright acidity provide balance to the persistent focused finish. Best consumed within four years of release.

Andy Smith