2018 Ladd Cellars Chardonnay Cuvée Voile - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (1/26/2026)
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 2.25 hrs. on Day 1; revisited on Day 3 –
NOSE: light and buttery out of the fridge immediately upon opening; a bit tangy, and with ample slightly-smoky mineral tones; mineral-laden pear aroma, too.
BODY: medium bodied; medium-light green-yellow color.
TASTE: on the lighter side compared to other vintages — Chablis-like; lots of mineral on the finish; less flor character than other vintages: this vintage tastes like a normal Chardonnay; 13.0% alc. is well-hidden, but I would have guessed a higher abv than that; medium to medium+ acidity; very nice, albeit atypical for this bottling. DAY 3 check-in: this has gained depth and breadth and is much better today than on Day 1, which is not to say it wasn’t enjoyable on Day 1 – it was – but rather to emphasize how excellent it is today. Give this tons of air if drinking now, but best to Hold.
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You are correct: tons of air is the way to go with these chards. The morning I’m going to have one of these, I pour 8 oz into a Pyrex cup, then put it back in the bottle and set it in the fridge. I pull the bottle out about 30 minutes before service.
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Agreed these are excellent wines and great values too.
Eric used to participate in berserker day but I don’t remember seeing Ladd this year
Ladd’s wines are excellent in general but the Voile is probably the best wine he makes.
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Eric has been dealing with significant health issues over the last few years.
Cherish the Ladd bottles you have.
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Damn, so sorry to hear that. Really great guy.
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Personal Falltactular highlight 10 years ago.
John Cabot and Eric were down and the 3 of us crushed about 40 wines together before things got started.
That was an education. Like drinking from a fire hose. 
You get two winemakers reverse engineering a wine. Fascinating.
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Yeah, I missed him this year. Good dude.
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