2011 North Vineyards Chardonnay - USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley (1/24/2024)
Lol...this wine is SO freakin interesting! Been 10+ years since I first had it, and now sadly my last bottle. This is totally a Chardonnay only John Alban, or Manfred Krankl, could make! Still reminds me of The Petition by SQN...hot buttered rum spice, rich and tropical pineapple and apricot...exotic spiced, Roussanne nuttiness...creamy and full bodied, yet there is a nice lifted lemon/grapefruit/tangerine squeeze of acidity that totally CUTS the richness beautifully. It was crazy high toned last time...age has mellowed it and integrated it well. LOVE the waxy texture and salty, smoky crushed limestone minerality...the Roussanne honey butter and nuttiness..if blind I would totally guess Roussanne. But that crazy citrus makes you think other varietals are in play here. Finishes long and creamy with smoky nuanced oak...buttered rum exotics...and super puckering sours...all so satisfying in a "drink something different" kind of way. LOVE THIS! (94 points)
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Btw…the story on this wine from Lorraine Alban:
2011 North Chardonnay
“While North is not an Alban Vineyards’ wine, it is not really possible to tell the story of this label without acknowledging its roots. Many of you know that Alban Vineyards is the first American winery and vineyard to have been established exclusively for Rhone varieties. On the surface, the fact that once upon a time almost a fourth of the vineyards planted at Alban were either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay seems rather contradictory. For the first 15 years of Alban Vineyards, John couldn’t afford to keep more than 20% of the fruit he raised. Chardonnay was an easy sell and suited to a broad spectrum of soils. As Alban Vineyards progressed and the contracts for the Chardonnay and Pinot lapsed, we were in a position to keep the blocks. They were methodically grafted and became the foundation for Patrina. But one vineyard has always been particularly special to me. Perched on a steep north facing hillside and planted into loam frosted sandstone we have an isolated and unique block comprised of four acres of Pinot Noir and one of Chardonnay; all planted the year we married- 1997. The agreement to sell this fruit ended with the 2010 harvest and naturally prompted the question, “what now?” Those of you who know my husband will not be surprised to hear that when I said, “I want it.” He replied, “It’s yours.”
2011 North Chardonnay exhibits all the traits that originally attracted me to this wine. It is unabashedly a central coast wine with tropical fruit and substantial weight. It has plenty of feminine curves and does not feel the need to hide them nor let them overwhelm the minerality at its core. There are cream and spice notes that marry with the fruit and comprise a surprisingly long finish. The wine is shaped as much by exposition as it is by the soils. Facing north on a steep hillside the entire growing cycle and climate are significantly altered. Likewise, I was born and raised in Northern Ireland and I have been greatly influenced by those roots.”
60 six packs emerged from this one acre in the super shy bearing 2011 vintage.
Lorraine Alban
Come on…that’s some sexy color right there!
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