2013 Bien Nacido Chardonnay

Chewy, a little oxidative and unfresh. A strange bum note – an earlier vintage was tasting much better by the glass a few days later at 67 Pall Mall. (RH)

The 2013 Chardonnay Bien Nacido is a surprisingly rich, oily Chardonnay from Gavin Chanin, with plenty of texture and viscosity, but also a terrific sense of freshness. Scents of butter, orange blossom, tropical flowers, white pastry and truffle all open up in the glass. Classy, elegant and refined, the Nacido is also the most overt of these 2013 Chardonnays. I especially like the way the Bien Nacido continues to open up in the glass.

All of three of these 2013 Chardonnays from Chanin Wine Company are superb, and the 2013 Chardonnay Bien Nacido Vineyard is the most ripe and textured of the three. Showing ample apple and orchard fruits, salty minerality, iodine, honeysuckle and hints of brioche, this terrific white has a big mid-palate, juicy acidity and a clean, focused finish. Aged 18 months on lees in 20% new French oak, bottled unfined and unfiltered, it should drink nicely through 2021.