Mike Chelini describes the color of our 2004 Chardonnay as white gold as he tilts his glass this way and that to check the viscous “legs” that form, showing that the wine has good body weight. Sniffing our glasses we detect aromas of pear, crisp green apple and a hint of exotic citrus. The mouthfeel is tart, indicating that it is still a youthful and tightly wound wine. But at the same time the big fruit flavors give the wine an elegant profile. Although some wine critics claim there is no way to smell or taste minerality, all of us at Stony Hill detect a consistent presence in our wines that we think derives from our rocky soil, brought up by long tap roots from deep in the hillside. Call it what you will, this characteristic, along with intense fruit flavors, is the underlying essence of the 2004 Stony Hill Chardonnay.