Thursday, November 11 2004

Wine of the Week: 2002 Stony Hill Chardonnay, Napa Valley ($30)
by Alan Goldfarb

This is the 50th vintage Chardonnay from this venerable property. How many people can say that? How many wineries in America have been around that long? How many folks know how to make Chardonnay the way Stony Hill does?

Going against conventional wisdom, the late Fred McCrea, and now his winemaker for the last 32 years Mike Chelini, have been making Stony Hill's Chardonnay as few or any in America make Chardonnay.

That is, no new oak and no malolactic fermentation -- elements that some say mask the true nature of this variety, rendering it too sweet -- is introduced. In fact, in Stony Hill's old cellar, there is hardly a new oak barrel to be found.

What results is a wine that doesn't give up much in its infancy, but one that will become effusive through its adolescence and through its usually long age.

This 2002 is no different. It is closed now and not emitting many discernible aromas, nonetheless, one can tell that this is a wine whose fruit is already rich, voluptuous, and mouth-filling. Most importantly, it's a wine that is in perfect harmony with itself. There are some sweet apple flavors on a long, clean finish. Hold on to it for about three years and then drink it over the next 15 and be rewarded.

The wine spent 10 months in old French barrels, some of which are 31 years old and average about 10 years. The listed alcohol is 13 percent (!), and there were only 2,740 cases produced.

-- Alan Goldfarb