Vacation Wines - Number Three - 2013 Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, Shafer

With some fresh cod, summer vegetables and a rich lime cream sauce I opened a bottle that I thought would go nicely along.

2013 Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay, Shafer

I tasted the 2014 - http://barolista.blogspot.se/2016/05/lunch-tasting-with-doug-shafer.html - not long ago and that vintage seemed to be a turn to a more restrained Chardonnay than previous vintages that I have had from Shafer. The 2013 is more like what I remember from the past.

The nose is big and bold with gorgeous notes of ripe yellow pears, oatmeal cookies, melted butter and matchbox scents. Deep and hedonistic. Some dark fudge. Very, very good.

The taste is mouth coating and rewarding with notes of lemon cream, cap gun smoke, butter cookies and a hint of sage. Long, long and ripe. There is some fine acidity in the background to keep it from being too big. For drinking now and the coming 3+ years. I do like the style of the 2014 better, even if its nice from time to time to drink this kind of power house.

91p   (tasted 2016/07)