Massican’s Chardonnay is sourced from a Carneros vineyard founded by Larry Hyde in 1979. The fruit is a Musqué clone, viz., particularly aromatic, fermented and aged in French oak.
This wine is proof that Napa Chardonnay can be ripe, textural, and satisfying under 13% alcohol. The color is pale moonlight but the aromas are like sunshine, mingling yellow apple skin and lemon peel with cream. The palate feels expansive, but it’s not a fruity wine; it’s more savory and silken, with a firm armature of oak that buttresses the creamy fruits and peels. Bitter lemon pith snaps at the finish.
This vintage balances the spreading quality of the 2017 with the serious attack of the 2016, building upon prior bottlings that emphasized linearity over volume. This is possibly the best-yet Massican Hyde Chardonnay.
2018 Massican Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard Napa Valley
12.7% abv | $45 (sample)
Drink one soon, or perhaps wait a bit longer.
If you have the luxury of more than one bottle in the cellar, do both. If not, wait a little. I think it will age gloriously.