Reviews & Ratings

2012 Navarro Vineyards Chardonnay "Premier Reserve"

Winery: Navarro Vineyards

Vintage: 2012

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Premier Reserve"

Wine Category: Chardonnay

Grape blend: 100% Chardonnay

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Anderson Valley

State or country: CA

Price: $25

Cases produced: 2,166

KWG Score: 90.5 (based on 2 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (91)

Review date: September 2, 2014

Wine Review: This white gold colored Chardonnay from Navarro is very good. It opens with a pleasant mild oak and faint apple bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, slightly acidic and mouthwatering. The flavor profile is a tasty vanilla oak influenced apple with notes of Bartlett pear. I also detected hints of butterscotch. The finish is dry and its flavors linger nicely. This Chardonnay would pair well chicken francese. Enjoy – Ken

Winemaker Notes: The fruit was sourced entirely from Navarro's Hammer Olsen vineyard, since the TR field was not yet productive. The juice from each picking was fermented and aged sur lie for nine months in French oak barrels, 25% new. Our favorite Chardonnay barrel is produced by Billon Cooperage; for Navarro, they source tight grain wood from the Vosges forest then air dry it three years, resulting in subtle oak flavors suggesting coconut and Melba toast, which integrate seamlessly with Hammer Olsen's crisp apple-pear fruit. We've served it with scallop, prawn and mushroom risotto... yum.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Navarro 2012 Premier Reserve Chardonnay.