2010 Chardonnay Richard Dinner Vineyard

Cool veins of minerality inform the 2010 Chardonnay Richard Dinner Vineyard. A Riesling-like petrol note develops with time in the glass, adding considerable intrigue and personality as the wine opens up in the glass. Chardonnays from this site have a way of fleshing out in bottle, and I imagine that will be the case here as well. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018. It is always fascinating to sit down with Paul Hobbs and his winemaker Megan Baccitich, as these Chardonnays and Pinots run the gamut of styles, clones and sites in Sonoma. According to Hobbs, the 2010 harvest was two weeks later than normal, while 2011 was three weeks later than normal! One of the other main differences is that temperatures increased toward the end of 2010, but stayed very much on the cool side in 2011. My impression is that when all is said and done, vintage 2011 will turn out to be superior to 2010 for this range. As always, the Hobbs house style does a very nice job of capturing both textural richness and plenty of site specificity. Tel. (707) 824-9879

The 2010 Chardonnay Richard Dinner Vineyard shows gorgeous textural depth and richness. Lemon, vanillin, sweet spices and butter are some of the notes that flow through to the creamy, expansive finish. This is another terrific wine in 2010.