TN: Donnhoff GG, Ridge and Newton Chardonnays

It was an interesting line-up of whites to start off our brown-bag group last night. As usual, these are decanted and served double-blind, so only the person who brought the wine has any idea what it is.

2013 Donnhoff - Felsenberg Grosse Gewachs Riesling: Earthy on the nose, with a bit of spice. Seems like an aromatic grape – perhaps riesling – on the nose. In the mouth, I guessed a more or less dry riesling, though there’s some residual sugar. Tremendous acid – epitome of “racy.” The finish was long, rich, slightly sweet with a lashing of acid at the back. Alsatian riesling seemed like the best guess. Gets more complex with air. I gave it 90 after it opened up.
This was decanted immediately before serving, and I think it would have benefited from an extended decant. If I owned any, I wouldn’t touch this for five more years, and I’d guess it will only really show its stuff in 10 years. It’s got the 2010 acid but with the richness of a GG. At the moment I think it’s at a slightly awkward stage.

2013 Ridge Vineyards- Montebello - Chardonnay: Nice oak on the nose. The winery website says it was 88% American oak, but it didn’t have strong American oak character for me on the nose. On the palate the oak seemed a bit sweeter, but in a way I liked. Some faint tropical fruit hints in the mouth, but the overall lack of a grape signature made me guess chardonnay, perhaps from Oregon or some cooler California region. Medium bodied but I picked up a bit of alcohol on the finish. (It is marked at 14.5%.)
A very nice wine. I gave it 89 points and I’d guess that the oak will integrate. The alcohol, not so much.

1999 Newton - Unfiltered Napa Chardonnay: Some poached peaches on the nose and on the palate. In the mouth, this is very rich – like a very ripe Savennieres. It seems to have a little RS and perhaps a bit of botrytis, and the acid is quite low. (One good taster in the group thought he got a trace of madeirization/caramel, but I didn’t get that at all.) I picked up some heat at the back, though it’s labeled at 13.8%. I guessed some white Rhone grape(s) from California.
I was quite surprised when it was unveiled. Not too many California chardonnays go 18 years and remain this fresh, particularly when they don’t have much acid. But this isn’t my preferred style. (No score.)

Thanks for posting. I enjoy reading/learning from your thought process as you go through the wines.

This is why all my Ridge Chards are in offsite storage for long-term aging…

A 2014 Ridge Estate Chardonnay showed much better back in the summer. Probably not surprising.

Thanks. That’s good to hear. Blind tasting isn’t the be-all and end-all of tasting. I prefer to share a good bottle or two with friends over an extended time. But blind tasting (a) keeps you humble, (b) forces you to focus on what you’re experiencing in the wine, and (c) it forces you to confront your expectations and prejudices.

Nice notes, John. We had the 2004 Ridge Monte Bello Chardonnay a few weeks ago. It was outstanding! The oak had integrated and there were beautiful mineral tones on the palate. To me, it was a testament as to how well these can age.

Thanks,
Ed