Interesting to taste a wine that’s a few years in the bottle as a current release — I suspect it may have been held for its fruit and wood tone (9 months in 100% new French oak) boldness to calm a bit prior to letting out of the chute. It seems like the proper call, with the fruit toned down but not absent, and the oak more integrated and complementary than it likely was earlier on. It wouldn’t hurt a bit to see more vintners follow suit.
Viansa, Carneros (California) Chardonnay 2019
By Rich Cook