2009 Diatom Chardonnay Huber Vineyard

The 2009 Chardonnay Huber, from an old Wente clone that boasts 24 years of age, is the purest, most grand cru Chablis-like of all these wines. Lemon and lime blossoms intermixed with nectarine, tangerine, honey, and powdered rock are all present in this full-bodied (15.9% alcohol), exquisite Chardonnay that proves that blockbuster power and quintessential finesse can be one and the same thing in a wine. It should drink well for 3-4 years. This brilliant artisinal project of Greg Brewer continues to offer what are basically the naked/most virginal side of Chardonnay possible – all from cool-climate sites in the Santa Rita Hills. As I said last year, these tour de force efforts prove you can have extraordinary precision, minerality, and freshness in wines that usually have around 15% natural alcohol. As a postscript, these wines are all fermented at very cold temperatures, with malolactic fermentation blocked, and kept cold on their lees until bottling, which is very early. No one else in California is doing anything remotely like what Greg Brewer has achieved with Diatom. Tel. (805) 452-5809; Fax (805) 735-9185