Marcassin, Chardonnay

While the Pinot Noir lags behind its 2012 counterpart, the same can’t be said about the 2013 Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard. Utter perfection in wine, this awesome beauty boasts a medium gold hue as well as a locked-and-loaded bouquet of caramelized citrus, orange blossom, white currants, toasted hazelnuts, brioche, and white flowers. With an incredible sense of minerality (it’s one of the very few California Chardonnay to have a Burgundian sense of good reduction and minerality), full-bodied richness, and an undeniable purity and class, this magical California Chardonnay will stand up to anything out there today. The current release (close to seven years after the vintage), it’s still young, tight, and unevolved, and needs plenty of air to show at its best.