Deep Woods Reserve Chardonnay 2016
7.5.2020
Had this at dinner last night, but have some in my wine fridge from release. I love the Deep Woods Res Chardy. On release (and they are released early, as 1-2 year old wines) they are intense and fierce, the hand of the maker is clear at that point. Always excellent, always powerful, but they need time in my opinion, to settle down into themselves. Enter the 2016 vintage, drunk in 2020. YES. This is just about perfect timing. It is complex and satisfying, full to bursting with intense chardonnay fruit (think grilled yellow peach, exotic spice – curry leaf and hints of turmeric – and brine) and the texture has a two-fold contrast feel: at once slippery and yet those grippy/chalky phenolics. There’s tension and spice and I’m all about it.
A big, massive yes to this, and proves my own point to myself about the validity of hanging on to these wines (if you can) for a couple of years. It is still fresh as a daisy, but it’s also, with the extra time, a more complete and thrilling wine. Also an uber bargain…
96/100
The 2018…
[I’ve seen this three times in masked lineups, but my most recent viewing painted the clearest picture for me. It was on the day that I took the above photo.]
“Toasty, grilled peach, crushed black pepper, red apple skins, hints of curry leaf… now we’re talking! I fricken love this. This is savoury, spicy, plush, the fruit steeps deep into the palate… balance, power, structure. It’s harmonious in that all things are in balance, but it is not restrained – it roars. Yes.”
To make one of these yours….. you can purchase the 2018 (epic vintage, epic wine, look at all those medals…) and drink it two years from now.