04 Lynmar Quail Hill Chard

from their website: Aromas of lemon panna cotta, grapefruit, Asian pear and fresh biscuits are the first introduction to this wine. The flavors are complex and subtle, revealing bright key lime, verbena and Gravenstein apple notes, balanced by ginger, clove and a briny minerality. The floral lily note typical of Rued clone Chardonnay is also present, as is a hint of kiwi on the finish. The emerging leesy/yeasty quality will get richer with bottle age. Drink from mid-2006 onwards.

OK, i got virtually none of the above. nose was melon-dominant for me and mildly closed @ 1st though there is definite heat. butter clearly noted and close to being the prominent feature. mouthfeel coating with some Kiwi i guess and some apricot, more butter while showing a very bright acidity. no appreciable minerality and i searched for this feature. never got the lily/floral quality. the finish is lengthy and i did note some baked bread/biscuits later on; this yeasty aspect did overtake the butter eventually. strong accompaniment for fresh Alaskan Halibut brought back to The Sierra Foothills by a local fisherman.

i know this wine is more complex than Lynmar’s RRV Chard as Quail Hill is well-cared for, Estate fruit. the pedestrian RRV wine is more hedonistic though and might be my choice even though it’s not supposed to be.

this bottle is better 3 nights later with virtually nothing being done to preserve the wine! baked biscuits aspect is now integrated with the fruit mellowing out the acidity while the butter has retracted a bit too. heat is thankfully gone! fruit a bit muted - lemon & melon now - but still present, like Chassagne Montrachet now in overall character.

We like Lynmar wines (Pinots and Chards anyway) and feel they do need some time and air before they drink really well. Of course, visiting the Lynmar winery is always a great afternoon.