2012 Black Cordon Ritchie Chardonnay

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$50 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Black Cordon sources fruit from all over the Napa Valley for its chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon and its companion label, Sixteen by Twenty.  We’ve sold a bunch of the latter’s cab sauv in Carpe Vino.

Owned by David and Karen Dunphy, this Napa producer is pretty much on the down-low, except for the fact that their winemaker is Paul Hobbs, no less.   Hobbs makes the wine at his own winery, and he is also deeply involved in viticulture issues.

This is a small-production winery that you’ll be hearing more about in the future.

Winery Tasting Notes: “The 2012 has a color that is more pronounced than other vintages; in the depth of the edges it’s like heavy polished copper that has the warm mellow depth of hue that comes with quality. The nose is voluptuous, voluminous, roundly encompassing. It is most striking for the expansive honeysuckle and citrus blossom that perfectly compliments the ripe peach, cool pear and tangy apricot rising to the surface. There is a deep well of aromas that finishes with layered vanilla citrus and the classic Ritchie minerality and wet stones. Layers of tangy peach and apricot slide smoothly into restrained citrus with an edge of minerality and spicy oak crème brulee. This is a very deep and complex mouthful of chardonnay, strikingly round and voluminous with a very long finish.”

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