Fairly lush yet still with enough acidity for balance, and with plenty of ripe tropical fruit, this should appeal to fans of medium to rich chardonnay, and represents an outstanding bargain.
Like so many wine lovers, Paul Maroon dreamed of moving to Napa and planting a vineyard. In 2000, he was able to accomplish this dream with the purchase of 35 acres of land in the Coombsville area of Napa, where he planted Cabernet Sauvignon, and sold his grapes to Joseph Phelps. As so often happens in these cases, Paul eventually got the itch to make his own wine, and in 2008 founded Maroon Wines to produce small lots of handcrafted wine. His Chardonnay is sourced from a single vineyard in the Oak Knoll AVA, just North of Carneros, where the proximity to the San Pablo Bay moderates temperatures and makes it a more suitable area for growing Chardonnay than the warmer areas to the north. This is a beautiful Chardonnay, and you are unlikely to see a better bargain for single-vineyard chardonnay from the Napa Valley.
Vintage: 2016
Appellation: 100% Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley
Varietal Composition: 100% Chardonnay, Single Vineyard
Acid: 0.56 g/100ml
pH: 3.64
Alcohol%: 14.6%
Production: 334 cases
94 Points
Decadent, rich, and supple. Aromas of black cherry, dark chocolate, crushed stone, dried herbs, and cedar lead into layered notes of cassis, fennel, baked plums, mocha powder, and cigars dusted with roasted Herbs de Provence, earth and red volcanic mineral notes. Full-bodied and rich, with a firm spine of racy acidity and ultra-fine, gravelly tannins that carry the lasting, mouthwatering finish.
93 Points
Aromas of blackcurrant, dark plum, and cedar unfold alongside soft notes of vanilla and toasted oak. On the palate, structured tannins frame layers of black cherry, baking spice, and a subtle herbal lift from the Merlot blended beneath the Cabernet's backbone. Medium-bodied gem with good concentration finishing long and warm, with lingering impressions of cocoa and dried fig.
94 Points
A full-throttle, blackberry-driven red, laden with chalky minerality and layered with robust tannins. Violet scents mingle with fig and plum fruit in a medium- to full-bodied expression that hits all the right chords, delivering a pleasing one-two punch to the senses.
