By Bruce Neyers

Wednesday 10th August, 2022

I’ve been a big fan of James Suckling for years, and I especially value the combination of wine knowledge and enthusiasm he offers in his reports. We’ve learned that his newsletter from August 3 included a review of the 2019 Chardonnay ‘Carneros District’ from Neyers Vineyards. This has been one of our most successful bottlings of this perennial favorite from Neyers, and we’ve enjoyed it with a wide range of Barbara’s cooking over the past few months. Here’s what James had to say:

Neyers 2019 Carneros District Chardonnay
“Toasted lemons, hazelnuts and bread crust on the nose, following through to a medium to full body, showing waxy lemons, butterscotch and a creamy, sleek mid-palate with fresh, medium acidity. A flavorful Carneros chardonnay. Drink now.”  Score: 91 POINTS  – James Suckling

The Halibut fishing in San Francisco Bay is especially good, and last weekend, Barbara prepared a dish of sautéed Halibut with Buerre Blanc and fresh Sungold cherry tomatoes (you can substitute sweet 100’s). It was delicious, and the combination of lemon and butterscotch in the Carneros Chardonnay was an ideal match with the sauce. A vintner in Burgundy would refer to the ‘hazelnut’ aroma in our Chardonnay as ‘noisette.’ It’s a common by-product of the cellular breakdown of the yeast — or autolysis — after fermentation, and frequently occurs during barrel fermentation. It’s important to ‘Old World’ winemaking as it increases both the texture and complexity of the wine.