TOR Chardonnay Durell Vineyard Wente Clone 2010 ( 95 Points Wine Spectator)

Rich and flavorful, this is a big wine that’s also graceful and elegant, offering an exotic range of honey, pear, fig, butterscotch, toasty oak, roasted marshmallow and tangerine. Drink now through 2020. From California.—J.L. 95 Points Wine Spectator

Tor Durell Vineyard, Wente Clone, 2010 Blend: 100% Wente Clone Chardonnay Production: 150 cases Release date: February 2012 Vintage 2010 is like 2009 in that it produced wines of great intensity, nerve, and character, but it did so in a very different way. Both vintages were cool ones with long hang time but 2009 started earlier and ended earlier. In 2010, spring was wet and late. Bud break was late, veraison was late, harvest was late, but thankfully September gave us ideal weather to bring our fruit in from (Hudson, Durell, Beresini) in superb shape. August was marked by a significant heat blast that presented another twist. We had to thin in the field, removing any grapes affected, and then we had to thin again at the winery. In the end, easily one of our best Chardonnay vintages - a small but high quality crop. Vineyards For several decades Durell Vineyard has been renowned as one of California’s premier Chardonnay vineyards. I have followed the Kistler bottlings for over a decade and marveled at the richness and minerality of each wine. They scream of Durell’s terrior. For California winemakers the Wente clone is synonymous with small crops and small berries. This translates to a high skin-to-flesh ratio, which translates into a high concentration of varietal flavor. The soil in our Durell block is goulding sandy clay loam. This soil is rich with diatomaceous earth and millions of years ago was probably a sand bar in the middle of a prehistoric lake. Winemaking These Chardonnays were all made in a very traditional Burgundian fashion. What does that mean? For our Chardonnays we use native yeasts for primary and malolactic fermentations, we do not fine or filter the wines. We work hard to bring the most honest and true expressions of the vineyard to you, with the least amount of additions or subtractions. Winemaker’s Tasting Notes The nose on the Durell is rich and laden with spiced pears, lemon zest and white chocolate. On the palate there is tremendous weight and density and a mid palate that completely coats the mouth with cream, citrus oil and an almost mineral like firmness on the finish. Though this is drinking great right now, it should age very well and quite easily for at least another 3-5 years. “This is a dazzling set of wines from Tor Kenward and his long-time winemaker Jeff Ames. Frankly, I could have spent the entire afternoon delving further into these fabulous wines.” Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate December 2011