2004 Pahlmeyer Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
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Tasting notes
(15.5% alcohol; from Ritchie Vineyard) Healthy green-tinged yellow color. Ripe peach and nectarine perked up by flowers, minerals and citrus peel. Juicier in the mouth than the Napa Valley offering, with a strong nutmeg spiciness lifting the peachy fruit. I might have scored this wine even higher but for its very prominent oakiness, which gives the finish a faint bitterness today.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
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The 2004 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is produced from the old Wente clone planted in the Ritchie Vineyard, which is certainly turning out to be a fabulous grand cru site whether the wine is made by Pahlmeyer, Marc Aubert, or others. Displaying plenty of orange rind, buttered pineapple, and leesy brioche notes, it is a seductive, sexy, full-bodied, heady wine with tremendous richness as well as good underlying acidity. Like so many Sonoma Coast Chardonnays, it reveals a greenish hue to the light gold/straw color, which usually signifies a potentially long life. This cuvee should keep for 4-6 years. (Release date 10/06) Tel. (707) 255-2321; Fax (707) 255-6786