Brendel Noble One Chardonnay 2019
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Spirits
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Wong
Wilfred
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There is no cleaner portrayal of the Chardonnay grape than that in the Burgundian style. This inspired Brendel to create Noble One, an unoaked and mineral expression made with only the finest Chardonnay. The result is a wine as good as the intentions of the people who made it.
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Wine & Spirits
This is a new winery launched by the team at Heitz, led by Carlton McCoy, Jr., whose background as a sommelier took this chardonnay in a fresh, savory direction. The wine is made by Brittany Sherwood, who sources fruit from Oak Knoll and Carneros; she ferments it in stainless steel, where it rests on the lees for a year. It sees no oak and only occasional lees stirring, presenting the fennel and anise flavors of the grape at center stage. A pale white with appealing freshness, this would be delicious with slow-roasted pork shoulder
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Brendel Noble One Chardonnay is expansive and steady on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine shines with aromas and flavors of dried leaves, dried earth, peach fuzz, and apple. Pair it with panko-coated, pan-fried Petrale sole. (Tasted: August 14, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
One of the world's most highly regarded regions for wine production as well as tourism, the Napa Valley was responsible for bringing worldwide recognition to California winemaking. In the 1960s, a few key wine families settled the area and hedged their bets on the valley's world-class winemaking potential—and they were right.
The Napa wine industry really took off in the 1980s, when producers scooped up vineyard lands and planted vines throughout the county. A number of wineries emerged, and today Napa is home to hundreds of producers ranging from boutique to corporate. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely the grape of choice here, with many winemakers also focusing on Bordeaux blends. White wines from Napa Valley are usually Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Napa Valley lie many smaller sub-AVAs that claim specific wine characteristics based on situation, slope and soil. Farthest south and coolest from the influence of the San Pablo Bay is Carneros, followed by Coombsville to its northeast and then Yountville, Oakville and Rutherford. Above those are the warm St. Helena and the valley's newest and hottest AVA, Calistoga. These areas follow the valley floor and are known generally for creating rich, dense, complex and smooth red wines with good aging potential. The mountain sub appellations, nestled on the slopes overlooking the valley AVAs, include Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley (farther east), Howell Mountain, Mt. Veeder, Spring Mountain District and Diamond Mountain District. Napa Valley wines from the mountain regions are often more structured and firm, benefiting from a lot of time in the bottle to evolve and soften.