The 2012 Chardonnay Far Coast Vineyard is one of the most nuanced, transparent and weightless Chardonnays in this range. Lemon, slate, white flowers and crushed rocks meld together in a pointed, nuanced Chardonnay endowed with terrific energy and pure mineral drive. Bright saline notes support the finish. This is a terrific showing from Hartford.
Dark red cherry, plum, spices, mocha and raspberry jam all jump from the glass in the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Smothers Remick Ridge. The style is juicy, exuberant and highly expressive. Today, the flavors are really popping. There is a lot to like here, beginning with the wine approachable personality.
Stonestreet's 2012 Riesling is gorgeous. Lime, white flowers, mint and white peaches lift from the glass. Winemaker Graham Weerts fermented and aged the Riesling in neutral oak, which preserves gorgeous freshness and vibrancy. This is a terrific showing.
Always the most intensely mineral, pointed Chardonnay in the range, the 2012 Chardonnay Gravel Bench is laced with crushed rocks, lemon oil, mint, flowers and slate. There is no shortage of personality or character in the glass. This is the only Chardonnay aged entirely in 100% new French oak barrels, all of which the wine handles gracefully.
Honey, apricots, chamomile, tangerine, butter and spices all flesh out in the 2012 Chardonnay Bennett Valley. Tropical notes develop in the glass, adding viscosity, richness and volume, all of which works to balance the cool micro-climate in this Bennett Valley site. This is a terrific showing from Matanzas Creek and winemaker Marcia Monahan.
The 2012 Chardonnay Russian River Valley is the most lifted and layered of the La Crema Chardonnays. Flowers, green orchard fruit and spices all lift from the glass. This is a beautiful, totally harmonious Chardonnay from La Crema.
The 2011 Pinot Noir Jennifer's is quite beautiful. Savory notes meld into tobacco, graphite, menthol, plums and grilled herbs. In 2011 the Jennifer's is bold, deep and beautifully expressive. There is a lot going on in the glass. This cool site in Sebastopol is typically quite late to ripen. In 2011, the savory, cool-vintage characteristics are very much in evidence.
Hartford's 2011 Pinot Noir Fog Dance Vineyard stands out for its rich, ample personality. Layers of deep spices wrap around the fruit in a textured, creamy Pinot loaded with depth and pure resonance. The 2011 is generous and inviting from the very first taste.
The 2012 Chardonnay Stature is the deepest and densest of these 2012 Chardonnays. Dried pear, spice, mint and pastry are some of the notes that inform the powerful, extroverted finish.
Apricot, spice, tangerine, sweet spices inform Hartford's 2012 Chardonnay Seascape Vineyard. A rich, layered Chardonnay, the Seascape is deeply marked by the thick-skinned grapes that emerge from this inhospitably cool site. There is a real phenolic quality to the Seascape that adds breadth and pure weight, not to mention considerable personality.
Hartford's 2012 Chardonnay Stone Côte Vineyard is bright, saline and beautifully focused in the glass. Dried pear, spices, orange peel and wild flowers all take shape as the wine shows off its personality. Today, though, the 2012 is a bit raw and not fully formed, but that should be less of an issue once the wine is bottled. The Stone Côte emerges from a parcel in Durrell.
Butter, pastry, almonds, pears and apricots inform Hartford's 2012 Chardonnay Three Jacks Vineyard. The Three Jacks is silky, layered and impeccable from start to finish. It should drink well early.
The 2012 Zinfandel Dina's Vineyard, from a parcel of 100 year-old vines next to Highwire, presents a much darker and spice profile in its blue/blackish toned fruit, tobacco and spices, all supported by vibrant minerality. Dina's is more accurately described as a field blend than a true Zinfandel, which explains its notable complexity and nuance. Sweet tobacco, savory herbs and dried flowers add the final nuances of complexity.
The 2012 Chardonnay Cougar Ridge emerges from a parcel of Chardonnay grafted onto existing Cabernet Sauvignon rootstock. The Cougar Ridge stands out for its broad-shouldered, intense personality and overt, tropical-inflected profile. At the same time, it shows a little less finesse than the other Chardonnays. Butter, apricot jam, spices and lychee are some of the notes that linger on the close.
Dark red plum, spices, licorice and menthol all flesh out in the 2011 Pinot Noir Far Coast Vineyard. Veins of underlying salinity support the expansive fruit nicely in a beautifully balanced wine from the Sonoma Coast.
Deep, fleshy and impeccable, the 2011 Pinot Noir Hailey's Block is showing very nicely today. Bright red cherries, flowers, cinnamon are all laced together in a delicate, gracious Pinot with considerable near and medium-term appeal.
A rich, voluptuous wine, the 2012 Zinfandel Highwire Vineyard is racy and intense to the core, with plenty of Russian River exuberance. Dark red berries, flowers and sweet spices round out the finish. Imagine Russian River Pinot meets Zinfandel, and you get a pretty good sense what the Highwire is all about. The Highwire is a parcel of 100 year-old vines, half of which is head-trained.
Dark red cherries, plums, tobacco, menthol, licorice and new leather meld together in Hartford's 2012 Zinfandel Fanucchi-Wood Road Vineyard. The 2012 boasts plenty of mid-palate depth and richness to match its brooding, intense personality. Hints of tobacco and licorice reappear on the finish.
The 2012 Chardonnay Jackson Estate Camelot Highlands is very pretty. Almonds, hazelnuts, orange peel and apricot notes all meld together in the glass. The Camelot Highland is at once layered and also vibrant in the glass.
Bright floral notes lift from the glass in the 2012 Chardonnay Fog Dance Vineyard. This is one of the more perfumed, brighter Chardonnays in the Hartford range. Pears, lemon, white flowers and spices are beautifully delineated in the glass.
The 2012 Chardonnay Four Hearts Vineyards comes across as a bit dense and compact at this stage, but there is plenty of power lurking in the background. Apricot, tangerine and Chamomile notes are all highly expressive here. These old vines, planted in 1975 (old by California standards) is felt in the wine's depth and resonance.
Bright saline notes provide the backbone for the 2012 Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc Terrace Ridge. Lime, slate, jasmine, sage and mint seem to jump from the glass in a bright, beautifully nuanced, aromatic white long on class and personality. The 2012 was done entirely in neutral oak.
The 2012 Sauvignon Blanc is bright, crisp and beautifully layered. White pear, lemongrass, flowers, sage and mint notes all jump out of the glass. Winemaker Marcia Monahan has done a terrific job of capturing the full range of Sauvignon flavors in an attractive, budget-friendly wine to drink now and over the next year or two.
Another beautiful, deeply expressive wine, the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc Helena Bench graces the palate with white peach, slate, sage, mint and tomato leaf. This is a pretty, textured Sauvignon with terrific palate presence, yet the flavors remain fresh, vibrant and varietally true.
The 2012 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley impresses for its overall harmony and balance. The style is rich, voluptuous and inviting, with tons of richness and pure volume. Raspberry jam, wild flowers, rose petals and spices wrap around the racy, inviting finish.