2011 Chardonnay Ulises Valdez Vineyard

Playing it closer to the vest is the slightly restrained 2011 Chardonnay Ulises Valdez Vineyard. Attractive notions of wet gravel, tangerine, white peach and pineapple emerge from this medium-bodied, crisp 2011. It is best drunk over the next several years. Paul Hobbs has built quite an empire, both as a worldwide respected wine consultant and as the owner of his winery in Sonoma Valley. I reviewed his Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon cuvees in Issue 209, and on this visit I tasted through his 2011 and 2012 Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs as well as a few Syrahs. His wines consistently hit all the high notes, and Hobbs continues to be a serious talent. I particularly enjoy his Cross Barn, inexpensive Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The 2011 Chardonnays range from tiny productions of 138 cases for the Ulises Valdez to 3,600 for the Russian River Chardonnay. The 2012s all reveal the tremendous up-front fruit characteristics of this year along with surprisingly high average alcohols, and good fresh acids. Paul Hobbs has introduced two Cross Barn Pinot Noir cuvees, one from the Sonoma Coast and one from Anderson Valley. These wines use a tiny bit of stems during their fermentations, and spend four months in barrel, 15% of which is new. Tasting through these same cuvees in 2012 demonstrated just how gorgeous this vintage is across the board in Northern California. Tel. (707) 824-9879

The 2011 Chardonnay Ulises Valdez Vineyard is pure sensuality in the glass. Rich, layered and textured, the 2011 impresses for its overall balance and sense of harmony. Orange blossoms, nectarines, lightly floral honey and a hint of French oak all come to life in the glass. This is a serious, dense Chardonnay that needs another year or two in bottle.

Bright yellow. Ripe nectarine and pear on the highly perfumed nose, with complicating notes of chamomile, orange zest and honey. Fleshy and supple in texture, with deeply pitched pit fruit flavors picking up spice and tang with air. Provides excellent palate coverage and shows a hint of smokiness on the clinging, spice-accented finish.