HdV 2005 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay, Carneros

2 bottles remaining

Blocbkuster new Napa Valley Chardonnay from Hyde de Villaine, a joint winery founded by Larry Hyde (Hyde Vineyard) and France's Aubert de Villaine (Burgundy's famous Domaine de la Romanee Conti, or DRC). Barrel aged for 11 months on lees with 25% new French oak, the 2004 HdV Chardonnay will be a special wine to cellar. This wine was bottled without fining and filtration.

95 Points Connoisseur's Guide to California Wine: "Enormously energetic in its delivery of sweet, inviting Gala apple and minerally first notes in its wonderfully refined aromas, this impeccably balanced wine is still developing and its layered mix of oak, fruit and acid promises better and better to come with time in the bottle. It is full in body, yet never heavy, and it is both lively and attractively deep in flavor with a lengthy, brisk, nicely focused finish. It may have enormous early charm, but its best will not be seen for some years yet."

93 Points Wine Enthusiast Best of the Year Dec 2006

5-Stars ***** Restaurant Wine (Ronn Wiegand, MS)

94 Points! winereviewonline.com - Nov 2006