92 Points, Best Buy - Wine & Spirits, October 2015
Walter Schug certainly knew his way around a vineyard. His experience and knowledge shows in their Carneros Chardonnay, which displays remarkable purity, balance, and complexity. Sourced from top growers including Ricci, Cornerstone, Wildcat, Sangiacomo, Leveroni and Iund Vineyards. This wine expresses varietal purity at a price seldom seen.
As we develop deeper relationships with high quality producers in California who are turning out great wines at great prices, certain wineries jump out as consistently delivering incredible value across a range of wines. One of these is certainly Schug Estate, where they continue to turn out stellar wines.
This classic Carneros Chardonnay was grown on our own cool-climate Estate vineyard, as well as the Ricci, Cornerstone, Wildcat, Sangiacomo, Leveroni and Iund Vineyards. It was barrel fermented and aged on the lees (“sur-lie”) in small French oak barrels, with minimal new oak introduced. Malo-lactic fermentation was not induced, allowing the wine to retain its natural acidity and varietal focus. The result is a wine that is both rich and powerful, while refreshing and elegant on the finish. It has a ripe, spicy tropical bouquet with flavors that suggest citrus, pear and spiced apples. Well-balanced acidity gives it a crisp, clean finish, making it an excellent wine with food. Try it with cream soups, rich seafood, fowl, veal and pasta dishes.
BLEND: 30% Schug Estate; 23% Ricci; 13% Wildcat Mountain; 10% Cornerstones; 9% Sangiacomo Tallgrass; 6% Iund; 5% Wood Valley; 4% Leveroni
APPELLATION: 91% Carneros; 9% Sonoma Valley
HARVEST DATES: September 4th through October 7th, 2013
SUGAR AT HARVEST: 24.3 degrees Brix average
FERMENTATION: 100% barrel fermented
AGING COOPERAGE: Aged “sur-lie” for 8 months in 17% new medium toast French “Allier” oak barrels
ALCOHOL: 14.1% by volume
ACIDITY: TA = 0.70 g/100ml; pH = 3.44
RELEASE DATE: October 1st, 2014
WINERY RETAIL: $32 per 750ml bottle
Gold Medal
Generously packed with black cherry, cola, cassis, and plum that all intermingle together in a creamy, velvety texture with great layering, finishing with delightful notes of oak and spice. Persistent, well-defined structure, wonderfully balanced.
96 Point Vintage
Entices with aromas of Bing cherry, raspberry, and cedar spice. Indicative of the cool vintage, the wine carries a freshness throughout. The palate offers a harmonious balance between bright red fruit, spice, and nicely woven tannins.
94 Points
Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with vibrant notes of fresh black currants, kirsch, and mulberries... Full-bodied, the palate delivers a firm line of grainy tannins with bold freshness to frame the muscular black fruit, finishing long and cedary.
Gold Medal
Light pink in color with aromas of watermelon, cranberry, orange rind, and fresh spring flowers that leap from the glass. The palate offers more peach, strawberry, and melon, with an intriguing note of rose and hibiscus. It's crisp with just the perfect hint of red fruit, and delicate whisper of strawberry that gives goosebumps.
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