2011 Kesner, Chardonnay, Alder Springs Vineyard, Mendocino County.
One of the best 2011 California Chardonnay wines, period, is Jason Kesner’s 2011 Alder Springs, this is pure genius in the glass and a wonderfully crafted wine. I have my favorite Chards, Brewer-Clifton, Kongsgaard, Alfaro and Morlet to name my tops, but I might have to give the nod this vintage to this sublime effort, Kesner’s Alder Springs is simply majestic and glorious with layers of fruit, mineral, complexities and is full of life and elegance. The nose starts off with wet stones, white flowers, brioche and citrus fruits leading to a vivid palate that balances lively acidity with creamy richness perfectly with pear, lemon, apple and white peach fruit, along with honeysuckle, steely mineral, clarified cream, hazelnuts, toast, vanilla and fig. This is really classy stuff, Jason Kesner is a great talent, his latest lineup is his best yet, even from a difficult vintage his wines shine, I can’t wait to try his 2012 wines, they should be stuff of legends, I recommend checking out these wines as soon as possible, and specially this 2011 Alder Springs Chardonnay it is awesome.
($60 Est.) 94+ Points, grapelive
avail at www.sfwtc.com ($58.95)