98 Points James Suckling
Sliced cooked apples with biscuit and pie crust undertones, as well as hints of spices with some salted caramel. Hints of apricot. Full-bodied with a firmness and depth. Creamy-textured phenolics and great length. One of the best I have tasted. It is rich and flavorful, yet it shows great depth and length. Drinkable, but better in two or three years.
95 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The price has almost quintupled since the 1991 played an instrumental role in the film "Disclosure" (1994; Michael Douglas, Demi Moore), but Pahlmeyer's 2021 Chardonnay remains a stunningly seductive wine. All barrel fermented and matured 11 months in 91% new French oak—mostly François Frères—bottled unfixed and unfiltered, it boasts an intoxicating perfume of gently toasted brioche, roasted cashews and hazelnuts, grilled pear and pineapple. In the mouth, it's medium to full-bodied, concentrated and dense, yet silky and fine, with a lingering, elegant finish. Fruit sources include the Pahlmeyer Estate Vineyard but also Stagecoach, Hudson and Hyde. Best After 2023
94 Points Wine Spectator
Packs an exotic note of litsea oil and a hint of flint, which becomes a smoky grace note for the core of ripe pear, lemon sherbet, makrut lime leaf, sweet grass, salted caramel and toffee. Reveals honeysuckle elements that linger on the long, expressive finish, with a fresh thread of acidity.
Winemaker Notes
We picked our Chardonnay from high-elevation vineyards during the cool of the night. Each whole cluster was meticulously hand sorted at the winery before pressing, and the two press cuts were segregated and aged separately. The juice naturally settled in stainless steel tanks until ready to rack to barrel. Our top lots were racked to new French oak barrels where they completed primary fermentation via partially native yeasts. After primary fermentation, the lots remained on lees and were stirred up to three times per week through malolactic fermentation to create a rich, luscious texture. The wine continued to age on lees in 100% new French oak barrels for 12 months and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.
