TN: 2005 Chasseur Pinot Noir Twin Hill (USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast)

WINE TALK
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  • 2005 Chasseur Pinot Noir Twin Hill - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (8/26/2009)
    A healthy dose of new oak comes through on the nose - more than what my personal preference is for, but still in check, and filled with lush fruits as well. Sour/sweet cherries and more of the rhubarb that I find only in Chasseur SVD pinots - an aroma I very much enjoy. Mouthfeel is substantial - very ‘new world’ in character. On the palate, rich cherry sauce, a bit of the rhubarb I get in the nose, red berries, and a strong dose of acidity, which makes me believe this wine could go several more years, as it has both the fruit and the backbone to last. I’m again pleased with the Chasseur SVD Pinots…very unique, very enjoyable. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

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Gotta agree with you on Chausseur… love their pinots, including this one, but really really love their chardonnays.

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Yeah, there are a few of us Chasseur fans on here - it’s a well kept secret…

I’ve got less experience on the Chards, but if they have the same oak treatment as the Pinots, I am a bit afraid…

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Forgive me for the sin of thread drift I am about to committeth…

Yes, the Chasseur chards have oak as a component of their total balance. But the fact is that (with rare exception) they are in balance.

I’ve come back around to California chardonnay in a big way over the past five years. Sure you can find flabby butterballs ‘n’ artificial popcorn flavoring everywhere. But the best producers, certainly including Chasseur, are finding expressions of chardonnay that are proudly Californian, exquisitely made, and deeply satisfying.

These are chards that hold many powerful elements in taut balance. Oak, yes, but just the right amount to add to the entire color spectrum. Superb acid balance; fresh, vibrant fruit; mineral elements; great mouthfeel; great finish… They are utterly satisfying. These are so food friendly that, honest to God, we now drink more chardonnay than anything else, mostly because we have wine with dinner, and these are food-friendly wines beyond belief. They match with almost anything.

We love the other style of California chard made now, too, with a leaner, ‘clearer’, more transparent palate to them. Arcadian, for example. No disrespect to that style at all!

Just saying that after being a knee-jerk oak-o-phobe for a bunch of years, I’ve changed my tune completely when it’s done right. The right touch of oak in greatly crafted chardonnay seems to fill in a sensory gap and brings everything together.

OK, let the flames begin… 'scuze me while I take a seat here… I want to watch the shrapnel fly… oh, I know what would be perfect, uh, let’s see, yes, here it is: [popcorn.gif]

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It’s not a thread drift at all, it’s a valid discussion, and one that I"m quite interested in since I have half a dozen Chasseur chards awaiting my consumption.

Big oak is fine IF IT IS IN CHECK, and in these Pinots, they are for the most part. Obviously DRC has gobs of new oak, but it’s in check, so it makes for a wonderful wine. Should these Chards (much like the ACV Chard I had recently) be 100% new oak, but in check, I should enjoy it quite a lot!

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Yes… and of course the key point here is “in check”, an utterly subjective call on anyone’s part.

In these wines I’d say that the oak is not “in check” but rather “in balance”; that is, if it’s “in check” then it’s a flaw that has been well-contained, while if it’s “in balance” then it’s an essential element of the whole wine. For these wines in this proudly California (read: not Burgundian) style, the oak is part of the mix but must be a team player.

Having played banjo in a bluegrass band loads 'o years ago, the best analogy I’ve got at the moment is to the banjo itself. Some players just find it loud and annoying (generating endless streams of ‘banjo’ jokes). That = ‘I hate all oak in chardonnay’. Next, if a banjo player has a tin ear, or doesn’t understand about fitting in with a group by listening to everyone together, they often play way too loud and end up stepping on the rest of the band members. That = ‘oak but not in balance’. And then of course are the types of banjo players that I dearly hope I was, namely, listening, adjusting, getting into back-up playing as much as lead breaks, not playing at times for textural purposes, etc. … to wit, ‘oak in the balance’. FWIW, my banjo was made of walnut, not oak, and that’s its resonator back you see in the avatar photo. It was a Gibson 1933 RB-4, and sold it a bunch of years ago because I needed the money. Wish I still had it…

…and I wish I had more Chasseur chardonnay, too!

OK, now that qualifies as thread drift, right? neener