Posted from CellarTracker
2006 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (12/6/2013)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over approx. 45 minutes –
Golden-tan color of medium depth. Christmas spice and lemon on the Nose. Medium bodied on the palate, with a rich, full flavor. Moderate oak, and nicely embedded acidity. 13.7% alc. not noticeable. This is definitely evolving, and, as such, I don’t view it as a long-ager. I like it, but not as much as the '05 vintage of the same; a touch more acidity or a bit less richness would be my preference, but there’s also a lot to be said for the interesting nature of vintage variation. Gut impression score: 90 - 91.
Posted from CellarTracker
2006 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (1/24/2015)
– tasted a couple pours non-blind at the tasting room –
– from 375mL –
Daaaang! I’ve had this wine a few times, but never from 375mL, and this is the first time it has truly Wow-ed me. Wonderfully high acidity on the palate, along with ripe fruit and a strong mineral aspect, too. 13.7% alc. not noticeable. Extremely well-balanced, and just overall extremely impressive. Wasn’t nearly this engaging last summer out of 750mL, so keep holding those bottles. Assuming those 750s eventually get to where this 375 is, this stands a good chance of usurping the 2005 and 2007 vintages as my favorite Sleepy Hollow Chard. from Arcadian.
Posted from CellarTracker
And it will Brian.
2006 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (3/27/2015)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over a couple hours –
– 375 mL bottle –
NOSE: initially reductive, but that recedes somewhat quickly to reveal a rich Chardonnay aroma — a cross between the tropical and buttery styles; pineapple; something smells a bit lactic here, too; very nice.
BODY: medium to medium-full bodied; rich golden yellow color.
TASTE: absolutely delicious! Full, ripe fruit flavor; lots of pleasant underlying mineral tones; pineapple; hints of cardamom and elderflower; light oak; fantastic acidity; alc. not noticeable; great pairing with roasted chicken w/2 lemons and roasted root vegetables. I cannot stress enough how nicely this is drinking right now from half bottle — the 750’s are still wound tight; it continues to amaze me just how good Arcadian’s Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay is, and this vintage out of the half bottle format is currently the best CA Chard. I’ve tasted — with the amount of fruit concentration here, combined with the high acidity and low alcohol, I’m excited to follow this wine over years to come: it strikes me as a wine that will age amazingly well. This wine just moved to the top of my sub-in list for when I change-up my GCS orders. Fantastic fantastic fantastic!
50, 5, 13, 18, 9 = (95 pts.)
Wow… sounds great Brian. I have one lonely.375ml of this '06 Sleepy I’ve been holding until the ten year mark, but you’re making that hard to do.
Rick,
Pop it now. And then buy more.
Was looking around a bit ago to see what I could have on a warm evening with some salmon I bought this morning from the best purveyor around (Santa Rosa Seafood). Saw this one and pulled the cork, formed a quick opinion, and then did a search. This is from a 750ml.
No reductive qualities, nothing in the slightest in the nose to indicate that this will be anything other than a tremendous treat. Lovely fruit and floral expression - aromatically right where I want a Chardonnay (but don’t often get it). Of note is the viscosity, yet with that also a pretty lively acidity (I tend to be sensitive to acid). I poured a few mouthfuls in to the Zalto Universal, put the cork back in, and put it back in the cellar. Cellar temperature is reading 56.6 degrees, and it seems just about perfect.
Nice! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Better than nice. Awesome.
2006 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (11/9/2015)
– cork pulled 30 min. before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over approx. 3 hours –
– 375mL bottle –
NOSE: intense, rich honeyed pineapple aroma; gentle oak; a touch buttery, like buttered popcorn Jelly Belly beans; smells like it’s going to be tart.
BODY: golden yellow color of medium to medium-deep depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: excellent embedded acidity; ample richness to this wine, but the mineral, acid, and low alcohol all contribute to an overall taut presentation; mineral is especially noticeable on the finish; 13.7% alc. not noticeable; once upon a time, I preferred the '05 vintage of this bottling above all others I’d tried, but this '06 has really come on strong over the past year, especially from 375mL, and has overtaken that '05 — along with a couple young Rhys Chardonnays I’ve had in the past few months, this is in the running for best CA Chardonnay I’ve ever had. Extremely excellent wine. Drink now or continue to Hold.
50, 5, 13, 18, 9 = (95 pts.)
I am resisting opening a bottle I have here, but you are making it tough. Great note. I can taste it right now…
Oh, Merrill … just do it!!! We both know you won’t be disappointed! Plus, Joe has more.
Looks like it is on tap for tomorrow. But maybe a long Friday lunch with friends.These wines should be shared…but that has never really ever stopped me!
2006 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (6/6/2016)
– popped one hour before initial taste –
– tasted non-blind over a couple hours –
– from 375mL –
NOSE: expressive; very high-toned; lactic lemony butter.
BODY: golden yellow color; medium-light to medium bodied.
TASTE: too powerful for sautéed cod (but delicious in the sauce!); high acidity; interestingly, paired very well with grilled cauliflower seasoned with Old Bay; consistent with previous bottles … stunning wine! Drink or Hold.
2006 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (5/14/2017)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over a couple hours –
NOSE: expressive; tart; rich; buttery; tropical; medium-light to medium oak note. {same as all previous bottles from past year}
BODY: pale golden yellow color (lighter than the '05); medium bodied.
TASTE: rich; high acidity; some back-end mineral; some pleasant spice, which is probably oak-derived; excellent; {consistent with other recent bottles}.
2006 Arcadian Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (9/7/2020)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind on Day 1 and again on Day 3 –
Day 1: most advanced bottle of the '06 to date — this concerns me a little, but it’s still good. Day 3: intense; rich-yet-high-toned lemon custard on the Nose, with some noticeable but unobtrusive oak. Rich, golden yellow color. Doesn’t seem as acidic, or have the verve, of previous bottles. Quite good, but doesn’t fit into the fairly well-established pattern shown by this bottling to date.
My mid-2000s Arcadian chardonnay mostly all fell off the ox cliff a year or two ago. Very surprising after they had been so fresh up to that point. Others I talked to were experiencing the same thing.
I should have opened them sooner — they were so outstanding until a few years ago. I think I was just lulled into a false sense of security around how well and long most of his wines had aged to that point.
Nothing lasts forever though.
Chris,
That’s the exact thought process running through my brain right now, with a bunch of question marks swirling about. I was sad to see I suddenly only have 2 bottles of the '06 left (it has been my all-time favorite CA Chardonnay), but if it is, indeed, suddenly coming in for landing then I’ll be quite happy to drink what I have and not feel bad about not having more. I pulled an '05 from offsite this weekend, too — it’s been awhile since I checked-in on that one.
I’m also corralling all my 2000s Arcadian chardonnays out of offsite, where some of them languished too long in a disorganized mess that I’m finally organizing last week and this week.
When I get those home, they’ll be my “next up” chardonnays until they’re gone – I’m guessing I’ll get a mixed bag, as oxidation tends to be, but hopefully at least some of them will still be sound, and the ones that are will probably be excellent.