2012 Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Thieriot Vineyard

(25% new oak; no lees stirring): Full buttery gold color. Ripe stone fruits, toffee and flowers on the nose. Ripe and sweet but with firm acidity leavening the flavors of ripe peach, brown butter and toffee. Lovely stuffing and concentration here. According to owner/winemaker Thomas Brown, who makes these wines with his wife Genevieve Marie Walsh, "in 2012 we could pick whenever we wanted, and because the season was not too hot we had long hang time. It was nearly perfect for the Burgundy varieties. Actually, we had to keep an eye on falling acidity levels, not Brix numbers."