Every year for our family reunion, my dad and Irene truly outdo themselves planning activities for us that showcase the beauty and resources of Napa and Sonoma. Our visit to Lynmar Estate was no exception – we had the pleasure of meeting Lynn and Anisya Fritz, took a tour of the thoughtfully tended gardens, enjoyed a summer seasonal lunch, and tasted some exceptional wine. No surprise that we couldn’t resist leaving with a few bottles of the 2009 Russian River Chardonnay and the 2008 Quail Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir.
Lynmar Estate Gardens
Dining room at Lynmar Estate
Truffle popcorn to start…
Colorful summer seasonal menu by Chef David Frakes
Tonight we picked up a bottle of 2007 Ramey Chardonnay – Russian River Valley Appellation Series. We’ve had the Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay in the past and thought it was excellent. I didn’t know that Ramey has Vineyard Designation Series and Appellation Series Chardonnays – here’s an explanation from Ramey about what that means:
Chardonnays
Each series of wine, vineyard-designate and appellation, are made identically so that the differences between them show the effects of site, or terroir, and region. All of our Chardonnays are whole-cluster pressed, fermented in Burgundian barrels with native yeast and bottled without filtration.
Vineyard Designate Series
(Hyde Vineyard, Hudson Vineyard, Ritchie Vineyard)
Coming from special vineyard sites, these wines show great depth of flavor, length of finish, aromatic complexity, and a fine balance between richness and delicacy. Typically the climate is cool, the soil vigor low, and the vine clone or selection one with small berries, small clusters and inherently low yields.
Appellation Series
(Carneros District, Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast)
These are classic wines that show the characteristics of their region. These are cool sites with low vigor soil, which may be planted to a larger-clustered clone. They receive less new oak and less time in barrel than the single-vineyard wines, but otherwise are made identically to them.
So, what do we think of the Russian River Valley Chardonnay? To us, the style is definitely “big California Chardonnay” with oak and toasted marshmallow notes (which we like). Here’s an expert’s review:
91 Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 09
Light gold. Powerfully scented bouquet of lemon, orange, iodine and floral honey, with a suave spicy undertone. The citrus flavors repeat on the palate, along with gingerbread and tangy mineral qualities. Very fresh and precise, with excellent finishing lift and lingering minerality. This got about 38% new oak but I’m not seeing, or feeling it.
Bouquet of orange and honey – yes. Iodine??? – not sure what that means. Not seeing the new oak – I definitely think it’s oak forward.
Not long ago we splurged on a few bottles of Peter Michael when we heard it was available at 67 Wine. And a few Fridays ago, Jeff and I decided to open up this bottle of 2007 Belle Cote Chardonnay. Peter Michael makes some of the best Chardonnay in Napa Valley (some would even say the best – you know who you are). This bottle did not disappoint – it was wonderful – creamy and full bodied with pleasing fruit notes. This was definitely a great way to spend a cold winter night – sipping Peter Michael with Jeff in our cozy NYC apartment.
Here are the winemaker’s notes:
“Very intense and powerfully hedonistic aromas of lychee nuts, citrus, rose petal and orange blossom, with a background of mineral, bergamot orange, candied orange, yellow peach, nutmeg, whole nut and toasted almond. The rich seamless palate is weighty in the mouth and very creamy. Notes of brioche and pain grillé coupled with crisp natural acidity complete the mouth feel. The wine is already expressive and will continue to develop for at least a decade.”
