2023 TOR Chardonnay Cuvée Torchiana Beresini Vineyard
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Based on 100% Chardonnay and aged 16 months in 27% new French oak, the 2023 Chardonnay Cuvée Torchiana has a medium gold hue and offers an exotic nose of honeyed melon, honeyed tangerine, and subtle tropical fruits. It's medium to full-bodied, deep, rich, and layered, with considerable ripeness while staying balanced and light on its feet. This rich, exotic, tropical singular effort will keep for 5-7 years. Drink 2025-2032.
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Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Chardonnay Beresini Vineyard Cuvée Torchiana is a soft, pretty wine. Nuances of lemon confit, mint, tangerine peel and light tropical notes all run through this super-expressive, open-knit Chardonnay. This floral Chardonnay is quite pretty, but it also feels a bit light.
The 2023 Chardonnay Beresini Vineyard Cuvee Torchiana was planted in 1988, making it pretty old by Carneros standards. "It's a beaten-up old vineyard," said proprietor Tor Kenward. "It got up around 22° or 23° [Brix] this year and then just said, I'm done." The result is not unwelcoming, but it displays less volume than you might expect from a Tor Chardonnay. It's perfumed but sappy on the nose, with green gage plum and pineapple notes, and medium-bodied in the mouth, with a fine, silky texture on the finish.
Whole-cluster pressed straight to barrel with heavy lees. Fermentation with ambient yeasts in French oak, 65% new. Matured 10 months in barrel before being transferred to stainless-steel tank for a month. Unfined. Unfiltered. Medium gold. Sulphury reduction on the nose – a slight onion note at first on pouring which does blow off. Intensely cedary and toasty oak. Ripe with some creamed-corn flavour and a bump of fresh acidity. Lower alcohol than the 2022s and the Hyde bottling, but still feels very rich and dense and oak-forward in a style more akin to white Rhône than burgundy. Chewy and rich with a tangy apple finish. (SCJ)