Jason Kesner had a vision. Working with some of the great Chardonnay producers in the Napa Valley (Kistler, Kongsgaard, Ramey) as Vineyard Manager at Hudson Vineyards, he decided it was his turn to stamp his name on a label. That’s precisely what he did and the 2003 is his first release. Yes, there would be a few more hats he would have to put on to make this project a success, but he was up for the challenge.
The best vineyards need very little manipulation, having found their own balance. Having realized that the best wines shined in the light of the same approach, Jason has taken a very handÂ’s off approach to the winemaking, allowing at every turn, the opportunity for the vineyard to speak through the wine.
This approach was exonerated in every step of the winemaking process, from the harvesting of the fruit under the cool of night, to the minimal use of new oak barrels and the fermenting using only native yeasts. The wine was aged on the lees (without filtering out the yeast) for 16 months and allowed to go through the softening process of malolactic fermentation.
The Wine:
I found out about this wine from a friend, and could only obtain the wine through the mailing list, although it is also available at selected Restaurants in New York, Nevada, and California. At a little over $70 USD a bottle (including tax and shipping), this isn’t a cheap Chardonnay, and one could find many fine White Burgundy and Chablis’ at the same price point. But this is California, and although there is a lumping of high end Chardonnay into the over oaked, buttery, one dimensional category, this one definitely does not fall into it.
Tasting Notes:
This is an amazing wine that covers all the bases. From the second you smell it, it’s incredible. The bouquet is rich with the scent of Vanilla, Apples, Honey, and a wonderful toasty aroma. It’s color is superb, golden and rich. The wine has fantastic acidic structure on the palate, not overbearing, but crisp, lending itself to it’s apple, toast and buttery flavor. The finish is quite smooth and lasts at least 30 seconds, filling the mouth with the flavors tasted. An incredible wine expressive of the region, old world wine making technique, and devotion to letting the grapes do the talking. Fantastic.
Score: 98 pts JAT
Sidenote: On the letter included with the wine,personallyy signed by Jason (nice touch b.t.w.), he writes that he hopes the wine exceeds our expectations.
Mission accomplished Mr. Kesner.