2007 Chardonnay, Pastorale Vineyard

...Freestone's Pastorale Vineyard Chardonnay could well be the finest Chardonnay ever produced in California.  I would compare it to the greatest Meursault I've ever tasted, with no equivocations.  This is not your typical California fruit bomb.  The flinty, wet-stone minerality is as big a piece of the puzzle as the intense aromas of lemon creme and baked brioche.  It has richness and power supported by fresh, mouth-watering acidity...There are but a handful of California Chardonnay producers who play in this league, and I daresay no one today is performing at a higher level.  (Robert Whitley)

It will not surprise you to learn that we have enjoyed this wine with great gusto as well.  If anything, it is a bit deeper and richer than its mate [2007 Freestone Chardonnay], and...is also a very superb bottling by any standard.  It is balanced, layered, complex and amazingly inviting.

Constantly changing aromatic profile in the glass showing lemon curd, butterscotch and buttered popcorn.  Discreet richness and body with bright mineral-driven lemon flavor underlain with light caramel and roasted nuts.  Delicately viscous with an appealing persistence of citrus on the clean finish...This Chardonnay will match up with any comparably priced top white Burgundy.  Very good (+).

Pale yellow-gold. Exotic fruits, butterscotch and coconut on the very ripe nose. Then firmer in the mouth than the nose suggests, with solid citric grip and a rather powerful spine of acidity. Impressive concentration and weight here, and very long on the aftertaste. I'd give this a couple years in the cellar before pulling the cork. Winemaker Theresa Heredia told me this chardonnay is picked at 21.5 to 23 degrees Brix "with ripe flavors," and that the lower sugar level produces a fresher, more citrusy wine, as opposed to a buttery, creamy one. She added that the '08 and '06 versions are not as dense as this 2007. Visit website.

2007 Freestone “Pastorale Vineyard,” Sonoma Coast. Medium-light to medium golden yellow; attractive, intense, stylish, complex, buttery, apricot and spiced apple aroma with notes of minerals, lemon zest, caramel, and roasted hazelnut; full body; rich, textured, toasty, rather tight, baked apple flavors with a hint of lemon curd; firmly structured with crisp acidity and tending to be slightly austere on the finish; lingering aftertaste. Very highly recommended. Only available to wine club members.

"The 2007 Chardonnay Pastorale Vineyard reveals a more restrained style, but it kicks it up a notch or two in terms of intensity and richness. Nevertheless, the overall impression is one of tangerine oil, crushed rocks, wihite flowers, quince and subtle background oak. The result is a complex, Corton-Charlemagne-styled Chardonnay with good acidity, considerable body, power, depth and richness, and a touch of oak. This beauty should drink well for 5-7 years."