2000
Pahlmeyer Chardonnay Napa Valley
“Multi layered and integrated, the 2000 Chardonnay shows inviting aromas of toast, spice and ripe, tropical fruit. Complex and rich, the palate offers flavors of citrus, honey and mineral balanced with a long elegant finish.”
— Erin Green, Winemaker, May 2002
100% Chardonnay
- Winemaker
- Erin Green
- Alcohol
- 14.6%
- Harvested Start Date
- September 15, 2000
- Release Date
- May 1, 2002
Winemaking Notes
…Harvested at 24.7 brix, the grapes were barrel-fermented on native yeasts and aged in 100% new François Frères French oak barrels for 11 months. The wine also progressed through 100% malolactic fermentation on the wild yeasts. The wine was bottled neither filtered nor fined.
Faintly hazy appearance. Subtly complex, rather Burgundian aromas of pineapple, lemon, dried fruits, nuts, herbs, flowers and toasty oak. Rich, lush, pliant and sweet; offers almost exotic ripeness and viscous texture without losing its primary fruit component. Finishes long, dry and very ripe, with an almost tannic quality. More full-blown than the ’99, but perhaps better suited for drinking in its youth.
The acidity level presents itself as high, although Erin told me that analytically they are not out of line with lower acid vintages. Notes of honeyed citrus, lemon blossoms, candied oranges, and hazelnuts jump from the glass of this full-bodied, tasty, ripe, concentrated effort. It displays more definition and structure than previous examples.
Lots to admire in this ripe, rich, full-blown style. It serves up layers of complex fig, citrus, hazelnut, pear and appley flavors, finishing long and detailed.
