Kesner, Chardonnay Heintz, Sonoma Coast

I followed this over two days and aside from a more rounded profile on day two, it held up nicely. I’ve had a few Kesner wines, but this is always my favorite. To be honest, anything from Heintz vineyard is normally a favorite. True to site, it has explosively tropical aromatics (like most Heintz vineyard chards) and is packed with guava, pineapple, bruised pear, and delicate honeysuckle. Acidity is fairly sharp here, almost steely, but it benefits from both air …

Very nice and rich but not overboard. Not overoaked either. Herby, complex and oily. Went well with scallops in hazelnut butter.

Potential unquestionable, but far from ready to sip.

Guy who makes this is the head winemaker at Kistler, so Gwen considers this to be a “baby Kitsler”. Very fruity for chard, almost to the point of sweetness.

Solid effort from Jason Kesner from a classic vineyard source for Chardonnay. Some floral notes up front and citrus cream flavors on a silky delivery on the palate. It was interesting to see it evolve as we enjoyed a glass before dinner and then had another with our grilled shrimp, roasted corn, avocado and butter lettuce entrée and the wine changed in character to be a bit fuller and responded to the food pairing. My wife and I both noted …

Gorgeous Chardonnay with both elegance and structure. Perfect acidity lifts the fruit but still offers a seamless and mouthwatering palate. A bit of saline and subtle mineral component interwoven with the fruit. Outstanding mouth feel which is a Kesner trademark in his excellent Chardonnays. Great vineyard source.

West of West SF Tasting, richer fruit, creamier than the 2013 by far, medium body, medium/long finish. good but not great.