DuNah Tre Cuvee Chardonnay Vertical (4)

[QUOTE=DuNahWinery]

Thank you – that’s exactly what I wanted to hear, I think you pushed me over.

Pushed the big gold button!

This is an interesting set of Chardonnays - 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. There does seem to be a house style, and there is oak. Not overwhelming, but it’s definitely there.

It’s hard to do a really full tasting on 4 Chardonnays, so I’ll limit myself to fairly short notes:

2005 - I can see why this is the daily drinker for the bossman. It’s drinking well, has nice aroma, good flavor, some complexity, good integration and a nice, fairly long finish. Quite a nice wine.

2006 - Quite similar to the 2005, but perhaps even better in a year or so. Drinking well and somewhat more complex. not quite as long a finish.

2007 - A little leaner than the 2005 or 2006, or should I say tighter. Aromas and flavors characteristic, the oak a little more noticeable. Longish finish.

2008 - Some offish aromas in this one, off flavors as well. Noticeable alcohol, oak My least favorite. Could well be an off bottle and not at all consistent with the other wines. I can’t really evaluate the 2008 based on this bottle

This is a good value IMHO at $15 per, or even at $20 per. Very solid Chardonnay, with the sort of oak levels you’d expect in a good named village white Burgundy (other than Chablis) a level above the sort of simple village white Burgundies you see for $15-20 here on the East Coast. A sweet spot.

The wines are clearly developing nicely, and I’d think the 2005 is good for another 5+ years, with the 2006 and 2007 good for up to a decade. If you want to wait, which you might well not.

The Russian River Valley and associated Sonoma Coast areas are producing some very nice, not overly expensive Chardonnay these days.

If you like Chardonnay, this is a good choice to try.

Edit
SWMBO home and tasted all 4 without any input from me.

Her favorite is the 2005, with the 2006 close behind. She thought the 2007 not quite ready and the 2008 not right.

Thanks RPM! Appreciate the positive in depth review! The wines are long lived. I think this is due to the “no foolin’ around” purity derived from the outstanding quality of the vineyards and the wine making expertise & techniques of our winemaker Greg La Follette.
Cheers and Thanks, Rick & Diane D.

…happy we were able to twist Rick’s arm and get him to offer up this vertical. I’ve been a fan of winemaker Greg LaFollette since I tried an early Flowers ('99 I think?) Pinot…

Thanks Rick for spending some time with us today and for these great Chards. I had the '05 last week. Delicious…and nearly 10 years old!

How about a Q.P. for RPM?

270x113

http://codemink.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/quality-post-assured.jpg[/img]

Ok, this was just to tempting to pass up. Just hope it doesn’t get cooked getting here to Arizona , 105 to 107 for the foreseeable future.
Hope summer shipping starts soon.

Info post:
All tasting notes for this wine have been cross posted into CT under user name wine.woot_taster. User names have been removed to protect the guilty. PM me if you want your tasting note removed or user name added back.

Thanks and back to the wineing.