I have been meaning to open one of the bottles from Liquid Farm (other than the Pink Crack) for some time but never got around to it. So I figured that this weekend was as good a time as any to give the Golden Slope a try. Prior to joining their wine club, I had heard a lot of great things about this winery. I can honestly say that I was not disappointed. It was a great wine! Notice that the picture that I took was the next morning when I realized I had forgotten to take a picture the night before. It was that good! I have yet to work my way through their entire lineup but I am confident that the rest will be just as lovely. The White Hill, a wine that is more in a Chablis style, is the one that I am most looking forward to since these are the types of wines that I generally prefer.
In the glass, the color is medium yellow with the slightest greenish hue. On the nose, this wine is just beautiful and only gets better with air. Initial impressions are of buttered popcorn although this gives way to a mixture of fruits (I got mostly peach, pear, apricots, with maybe a touch of pineapple). There was also some melon and possibly a hint of savory herbs (thinking tarragon here). On the palate, this is a rich wine. I get a good amount of buttery popcorn. I get more butteriness than what I would have expected from a wine aged in only 15% new oak (note, their website states 25% but their emails state 15%...since they say they use 85% neutral barrel, I am assuming that 15% new is correct). However, this “butteriness” is not overbearing like many other California Chardonnays that I have had. I suspect that this is richer than the White Hill, which is more of a lean wine in the Chablis style as I stated above. This wine has similarities to what I would expect from a wine from Meursault. On the palate, there was also a good amount of nuttiness, some minerality (slate), lemon curd, and similar fruits as the nose. There is a long finish that stays focused.
I recommend not serving this wine at fridge temperatures. Instead, I would probably recommend placing it in the fridge for a bit then opening it and letting it sit there for a while. That way, the temperature comes down a bit and you are also giving the wine some time to breathe.
If I had to score this wine, I would give it a 92-94. I am giving it a wide range because I believe that this wine needs a bit more time in the cellar and I am sure that it will be stellar.
In the glass, the color is medium yellow with the slightest greenish hue. On the nose, this wine is just beautiful and only gets better with air. Initial impressions are of buttered popcorn although this gives way to a mixture of fruits (I got mostly peach, pear, apricots, with maybe a touch of pineapple). There was also some melon and possibly a hint of savory herbs (thinking tarragon here). On the palate, this is a rich wine. I get a good amount of buttery popcorn. I get more butteriness than what I would have expected from a wine aged in only 15% new oak (note, their website states 25% but their emails state 15%...since they say they use 85% neutral barrel, I am assuming that 15% new is correct). However, this “butteriness” is not overbearing like many other California Chardonnays that I have had. I suspect that this is richer than the White Hill, which is more of a lean wine in the Chablis style as I stated above. This wine has similarities to what I would expect from a wine from Meursault. On the palate, there was also a good amount of nuttiness, some minerality (slate), lemon curd, and similar fruits as the nose. There is a long finish that stays focused.
I recommend not serving this wine at fridge temperatures. Instead, I would probably recommend placing it in the fridge for a bit then opening it and letting it sit there for a while. That way, the temperature comes down a bit and you are also giving the wine some time to breathe.
If I had to score this wine, I would give it a 92-94. I am giving it a wide range because I believe that this wine needs a bit more time in the cellar and I am sure that it will be stellar.