Kunde Estate Winery

Kunde winemaker Tim Bell liked his fruit in 2004, and he really liked the Chardonnay he set aside for this reserve bottling. (Kunde does not do a lot of reserve bottlings, so in this case “reserve” actually means what it says.) The fruit came from three vineyards and was picked over most of the month of August, but it was all vinified the same way: full malolactic fermentation after initial fermentation in barrel, ten months on the lees in new or one-year-old oak, and no filtering or fining. The goal was to extract all the flavor and richness Chardonnay is capable of. Sometimes white wines with this much new oak and lees time can become hot, “butterscorched” (that’s butterscotch with too much char) or flabby. Not this time. Early picking kept the wine firm and well structured and the pH right in the sweet spot (3.37). The aromas and flavors are all varietally accurate for Chardonnay, along with some zingy citrus notes. The wine enters cool and smooth, then expands and warms across the midpalate. It carries its wood very well, the fruit stayed fresh to the finish, and the overall experience was seamless. Worth aging if you like mature white wine.

Reviewed July 9, 2007 by Thom Elkjer.