The Gallo purchase of Rombauer generated comments on its Carneros Chardonnay. For those who’ve tasted any of Rombauer’s single vineyard Chards, like the Home Ranch, how do you think they compare to the Carneros?
I went wine tasting in Amador County during the holidays a few years back and stopped by Rombauer, their satellite winery. I tried all of the single vineyard chards available including Home Ranch and while they are obviously a step up from the Carneros, I remember leaving thinking they lacked personality and I’ll keep my dollars moving towards my Aubert allocation. However, I do like their bottling appeal.
Their reserve-level chardonnays are among the best California chardonnay values out there (same goes for their reserve level cabs in my view). I’m a huge fan of the Proprietor chardonnay, which is a blend of their favorite barrels from across the reserve portfolio. I also love the Buchli Station as well. From my experience they benefit from 2-3 years of aging post-release, and do really well for up to a decade post-vintage. Unlike the Carneros, there’s very little ML influence on flavors and mouthfeel, which paves the way for great acidity and minerality. I’d argue they’re structured very similarly to high quality Chassagne-Montrachet. They also avoid any amount of residual sugar, which is popping up aggressively in a number of California chardonnay houses that are more highly regarded. I love sticking one of the reserve wines in a blind lineup and watching people who bash Rombauer pick it as one of their top wines.
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