Winter Release Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay
2018

Winemaker’s Notes

Our 2018 Hyde bottling is a particularly elegant translation of this world-renowned vineyard with which we’ve partnered since 2002. The overall character of the 2018 vintage aligns perfectly with the vineyard’s natural signature: steely minerals, substantial palate length and great potential for additional complexity as the wine ages. It’s one of those wines that offers both power and delicacy, richness and finesse, detail and nuance – only the greatest sites can do that.

Beautiful, fully integrated aromatics lean toward botanical freshness, flint, oyster shell and spearmint. As the wine opens, candied ginger richness, lemon and lime juice, and honeycomb emerge. The wine is clean and vibrant on the entry with distinct lines and a tangy core of lemon curd, dried chamomile, quince and cashew. There’s good thrust from the mid-palate to the finish, which is nutty and toasty yet balanced by energetic chalky mineral acidity. A lingering echo of tarragon and lime zest provides length and detail.

I recommend you approach this wine as if it were red, not white, serving at around 60?, not too chilled, and decant for an hour if possible. The wine’s richness evolves beautifully in a partial bottle the second evening, with enhanced viscosity and additional layers of texture, breadth and depth. Drink between mid-2021 and 2026.

Andy Smith