2009 Maldonado Chardonnay "Parr Vineyard"

Last year I reviewed this wine and it was perhaps the best Chardonnay I had tasted all year. I hope the 2009 vintage can get close to the quality of the 2007, which I rated at 95 points. For some reason the Maldonado's don't put the tech data on their website for the "Parr Vineyard" Chard. However, I believe the wine is a very small production and well in-demand, so they don't necessarily need to publicize it too much.

The nose on this wine is busrsting with exquisite aromas of baked golden delicious apple, fig, almond, quince, meyer lemon, stone fruit, creme brulee, and a slight touch of mineral. It's a fantastically complex bouquet and one that improves as the wine warms to room temperature.

On the palate I get delicious and intense flavors of caramel apple, quince paste, fig, vanilla, tangerine peel, mineral, and hints of nectarine. The wine is perfectly weighted texture-wise and glides effortlessly across the palate. What makes this wine really special is it's acidity and how it is razor sharp on the finish. The wine is impeccably balanced and finishes with an intensity that rivals the best made Chardonnay's in the world. 95 points

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