TN: 2012 Liquid Farm Chardonnay White Hill

WINE TALK
1

Enjoyed my first LF yesterday.

  • 2012 Liquid Farm Chardonnay White Hill - USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills (8/10/2014)
    Smells like pears and pepper. There’s lemon, pear, and a savory buttery note to the palate. The wine shows a nice balance of deep fruit, rich and viscous palate presence, and a wiry acidity. Very clean and precise. Young. Could stand some time. Very nice.

Posted from CellarTracker

2

Good stuff. I picked up a case of this awhile back and will look forward to following it over the next few years.

3

I had one with lunch today. It was delicious but it had some baby fat. My note would be similar to yours, although I didn’t get the pear as strongly. I think the oak needs to settle a bit making this a young and really good wine with tons of potential for my palate.

4

I haven’t had a LF in months; I’ll have to put one in the lineup for this weekend. So Tex, what’s your favorite 2012 LF Chard?

5

Interesting, Kyle, I’m usually no fan of oak, and it didn’t stick out as overt to me.
Either way, I agree with the baby fat and the tons of potential.

6

White Hill. Both 2011 and 2012 are great, with 2011 ahead by a hair.

7

I drank it a bit warmer than I intended which I think might be the reason the oak came through more than I expected it to and more than others seem to experience. Or I have a s*** palate. :wink:

8

I had this wine cold and then let it warm up, and the oak certainly was ‘noticeable’ to me - not in a bad way, but definitely there.

Cheers.

9

Interesting I also drank one last night and I put in my note I will age my last 12’s for another year or so before trying again. I think 12 is a bit bigger than the 11’s. Can’t wait to try the 13’s [cheers.gif]

10

There may be wood influence, but to my knowledge there is no new oak on the White Hill, only neutral oak and some stainless steel.

11

I had a 12 Four the other day, it restored my faith that Chardonnays can be worth $70

12

That’s good to know. So far I have remained strong but can’t make promises to keep them buried for much longer.

13

While I loved them both, I was surprised how different the '11 and '12 were. The former was a saline-citrus-mineraled-acid bomb! The latter was a little more rounded with more orchard fruit. I expect vintage variation, but these were quite different from each other. I wonder if the was some other factor coming into play. No matter, I’m happy with all the LF bottles I’ve opened thus far, and glad I have several more.

14

I agree with your assessment on how the vintages contrast. Interestingly, yesterday I finished off a bottle that was opened 30+ hours earlier and refrigerated. Day 2, after bringing back up to temp, that rounded, not-quite-woody element blew off and the citrus and acid became more prevalent. Certainly not to the point of the '11, but it fell into that range that I love.

To echo your sentiment, there hasn’t been a bottle of LF I haven’t enjoyed. I’m looking forward to '13s and the new La Hermana Santa Maria. I haven’t read a profile on the new addition, yet.

15

Does anyone know when Liquid farms releases their wines to the mailing list?

16

Sept/ Early October i’m told.

17

Had this last night for the first time in a couple years. Previously I had found it a bit round but austere. Well it has come a ways.

Seems a bit full up front with pineapple but quickly moves to guava and has a very pleasant funkiness before some florality takes hold. The finish goes on and on as it continues to lean up with fine acidity lending orchard fruits. The oak has really integrated here and by the finish this becomes very refreshing and makes a good food wine. Excellent+.