“The discovery of a good wine is increasingly
better for mankind than the discovery of a new star.” – Leonardo da Vinci
I
enjoyed this wine before, on my second visit to Sonoma; the tasting at
Stonestreet graciously arranged by some wonderful people at Kendall-Jackson
(another story). That was in October of
2014. I tasted the wine, (a 2011) bought it and others and tasted them again at home
almost immediately upon arriving. I remember being so impressed by the balance and
finesse of “Broken Road” that I later brought it as my partner to a dinner
party. It was voted the most important
person at the party. That was last year, 2015.
Today,
cooking (wild caught, Copper River, Alaskan) salmon, my reflex is Sancerre (Sauvignon
Blanc, Loire Valley, France). It’s my
preference for salmon; a “go-to” reflex.
But cooking the salmon on the grill and sheathing it in cedar wraps, I
thought it may be better to go with a wine of more weight. I pulled out my last
bottle of Stonestreet’s 2011 “Broken Road” Chardonnay from the Alexander Valley
AVA.
 |
| Cedar wrapped salmon on the grill. Not much to say. Generally, you like fish or you don't like fish. |
It was a good choice.
And proof again that wine
is a living thing, which develops both in the bottle and, with air, in the
glass.
At
the time, I wasn’t aware of all the reviews: Tanzer, Advocate, and Spectator.
I’ve seen them since and certainly Stonestreet doesn’t need my humble opinion.
But not to put it out here would be remiss and disrespectful to the winemaker’s
art and craft. It is, quite simply, a
beautiful Chardonnay.
Unlike
the previous two bottles, this – just opened – put out some smoky notes. Enough that I wondered if the barrel for this
had been over charred. Then again, all palates and preferences are personal and
there are those who prefer this character over everything. But it seemed an anomaly
because my
recollection of that characteristic didn’t come to mind from the previous
bottles. It wasn’t offensive. Just
different from memory. Disciplined
writers keep better notes. Then again, here you get the pure experience of the
moment. Either way, with air, the smoke
diminished and allowed the fruit to resurface.
 |
| Salmon, flourless gnocchi,and (yes) asparagus with and without jamon serrano. Delicious. But the wine was the star. and elevated everything (even asparagus!). |
But
fruit is handled with finesse. Subtly hinted, melded, it draws you in instead
of clubbing you. Oak is deft; there is no overload of vanilla. In fact, one of
the most enjoyable aspects of this wine is its push-pull interplay of notes.
The nose offers orange blossom. Its flavor includes notes of butterscotch that change
to tart citrus toward its finish. There’s a soft lime opening than morphs to
tangy citrus. In-between this concert is lemon verbena, hazelnut, and unsweet
tropical fruit, with pineapple mildly forward. The wine is an education: a
high-low of fun notes in the mouth. Somehow, Graham Weerts (winemaker) composes
this symphony of tastes in a balance that peaks interests and invites you to
take another sip and explore what’s going on. Despite all this fruit, the wine
is elegantly austere, southern Burgundian like, but not shy. It doesn’t scream
California, but it whispers it with classic notes of sea breeze and sea shell
and finishes with enough acidity and tannin to be a Burgundy step child. Weerts has every reason to be a proud father.
Cheers!
……………….
Jim
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TECH SPECS
Galloni 94 Points
Parker
Points 93
Tanzer 92
AVA: Alexander Valley,
Sonoma County
Mountain
Range: Mayacamas Mountains
Region: North Coast, California
Elevation
of Vineyard: 1800 ft.
Slope’s
Exposure: Southwest
Rootstock: 110R
Clone: 4
Avg.
Ripeness: 22.8
Fermentation: 100% barrel, lees stirred monthly,
native yeasts(!)
Aging: 10 months, 47% new
French
Alc: 14%
TA: .59
Since
all wine begins in the vineyard, credit goes also to Gabriel Valencia, Vineyard
Manager.
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