Failla Chardonnay Estate Vineyard

Good acidity, nice yellow tone, lovely.

2016 vintage

Boston Wine + Poker, Needham, Mass.: Tasted blind. No doubt this is California Chardonnay. Smells buttery. Tastes younger than it smells. Touch of bitterness on the aftertaste.

2016 vintage

Past its prime.

2016 vintage

PnP, chilled, but the 2nd glass (after 20 minutes of slo-ox) was more open and fuller. Clear medium yellow in the glass. The medium bodied palate showed lemon (crème and juice), minerality, some green apple and pear, with juicy acidity and just a touch of oak on the finish. Should hold for the short term.

2016 vintage

Blinded this on a few family members. Everyone identified this as California Chardonnay pretty quickly, with one of my brothers calling this as 2016 Chardonnay from Napa Valley! Lucky guess, for sure, as he does not drink much Chardonnay and certainly not much at this quality level. In any case, this held up well the second evening after stoppering and storing in the fridge. Found this to be very California Chard in style, with richness and fruit in abundance and …

2016 vintage

This wine is light gold in the glass with a modest nose showing aromas of pineapple, peach, cantelope, butterscotch and wet stone. On the palate the wine continues that fruit experience with peach, pineapple, and orange in the background. Light to mild acidity, which may not quite support the pleasant creaminess on the palate. Subtle oak on the finish. A flavorful wine with good concentration and a generous mouthfeel. Recommended.

2016 vintage

We had Jane and Drayton Stott over Barb made a great watermelon appetizer and perfectly cooked 2 huge CostCo Ribeyes A fresh summer dish Fresh watermelon with crumbled feta, preserved lemons, mint, basil and olives We did a port wine reduction and mushrooms side along with fresh corn and broccolini Jane brought heavenly peach/blueberry pie Wine. 2014 Rivers-Marie Cabernet, Napa Valley, alc 14.5% Decanted an hour Intense and well balanced with ripe fruit. Still youthful. 2016 Failla Haynes Vineyard Chardonnay, …

2016 vintage

Well balanced. Richness from the oak nicely offset by the acidity. Tropical fruit. Medium body with good length. Drinking very well.

2016 vintage

By the bottle at Barndiva in Healdsburg, CA. Nose is very pretty: slightly smoky, green plums, scague white flowers. Palate is medium-bodied but has great acidity and freshness. Definitely new world ripeness but it’s not fat. Slight green almond, lemon peel, slate notes on the palate with a medium finish. Perfect pairing with the crab bucatini and the hamachi crudo. Very delicious.

2016 vintage

Spectacular CA, Chardonnay, the best I have had in a while. Great delineation,balance and just a delicious wine.

2016 vintage

This is in a very good spot right now, showing signs of a couple years of bottle age, but far from any of the butterscotchy flavors. medium body, some weight with good acidic cut. 93

2016 vintage

Double decant back into bottle, poured off one glass and re-corked, back into refrigerator, consumed 2-3 hours later. Initial impressions: Pale yellow. Some funk on the nose. Acid and granny smith apples in mouth. Medium bodied. Mineral, some complexity. Upon consumption with dinner: Character shines through. Very lovely, very French in style, not overly oaked, earthy. My dinner companion (a Sauvignon Blanc lover) enjoyed this and asked rhetorically "Why don't I drink more Chardonnay?" An lovely, interesting, refined, flavorful wine …

2016 vintage

Chilled and a splash decant. Super fizzy, almost champagne-like. I was leaning towards marking this as flawed but it settled down after ten minutes. Fairly simple creamy nose with with a bit of citrus. Similar on the palate with a touch of white flowers. Definitely didn’t catch this in the best place and it didn’t stand up well to some 2018 samples that were on a different level.

2016 vintage

Crisp apple and lemon taste. Very clean finish. Light and not overly oaky.

2016 vintage

Popped and poured. Nice showing. Great balance, plenty enough going on while retaining good cut, remaining lively on the palate without becoming overly rich or ponderous . This seemed to show a bit more oak than a previous bottle.

2016 vintage

Another gorgeous Failla Chardonnay. Bright citrus and a touch of oak and a medium weight wine that is so light and refreshing on the palate. Kiwi fruit and pineapple with a laser like focus. This was gone in an hour (not just by me).

2016 vintage

Relatively muted on the nose. Clears the nostrils, with some buttery lemon and floral notes. Classic Chardonnay; very pleasant. Medium-low acid in the mouth. Lemon curd, milky, on the border with flabby but not. Overall, good, but I realize that I tend to like crisper, more biting Chardonnays. Still, enjoyable.

2016 vintage

Not what I was expecting for a Chardonnay and that’s a good thing. Green apple and some acidity. Little to no oak. Very enjoyable.

2016 vintage

Good freshness and depth on the palate. Impressive length and will improve with bottle age.

2016 vintage

Lemony and minerally with a lingering finish. Not your typical California Chardonnay. A style I really enjoy. Not getting the vanilla that others suggest.

2016 vintage

Much more oak than expected on the nose and mid palate when first opened. More oak on the finish as the wine opened. I don’t recall any oak when tasting it at the winery 2 years ago. A day later, not as much oak on the nose or palate, but a wood-reminiscent abrupt finish.

2016 vintage

Vivian brought for OTBN. Sadly corked. In spite of that, good texture and acid. We tried the plastic wrap decant a week later. But better, some butter and hazelnut. Could have been great.

2016 vintage

Lighter style and balance than the typical CA Chardonnay, making it a delight to drink and food friendly.

2016 vintage

Better than I remembered. Great Chardonnay. Pear, apple, citrus, and floral on the nose, great balance, acidity, a vanilla richness without the butter. Very little oak. Seems at first almost too subtle, but then expands and lingers on the palate for a lengthy finish.

2016 vintage

Fantastic anti-California style. Great precision. I don’t know what to compare it to but it is the best CA Chardonnay I can remember.

2016 vintage

For magnums

2016 vintage

Decanted and poured. Good balance with nice cut and flavors more in the citrus than tropical fruit spectrum. No noticeable oak. About 3-4 hours after opening, it really opened up: the reticent nose became prominent and the mouth feel became rounder

2016 vintage

Others have described this well; full of fruit, yet lean and focused; precise and elegant. Failla continues to raise its Chards to the next level. 92-93.

2016 vintage

Lemon meringue, roasted apple, soft and rich well-layered vanillin. Lovely charred musk and bright acid cools to clean, delicate bitter finish.

2016 vintage

Another wonderful failla wine. Mildly oaky, good acidity. Pairs well with a variety of dishes.

2016 vintage

Honeydew and pear on the nose. There’s a fresh minerality to go along with the pear and medium oak. Drinks best chilled.

2016 vintage

Nice flavors - strong citrus. Seems to have an effervescence that dominated. Is this to be expected?

2016 vintage

Deliciously distinct Chardonnay. Sharp fruit flavors not burdened by typically oakyness. Light and smooth, with an easy finish. Strong QPR.

2016 vintage

Uncharacteristic taste for a chardonnay, yet delicious.

2016 vintage

Now we're talking - a Chardonnay coming from sandy soils (haven't had much of these). Still ripe on the nose, this time with a combo of tropical and stone fruit. Here, you can see much more dedication to art of winemaking. Lean, precise, energetic. Oak and fruit perfectly integrated. Finishes of with a sweet nutty note, like caramelized almond or walnut.

2016 vintage

Full-bodied, minimal oak; exhibiting some sacharrin-like sweetness on the palate, in spite of the dry finish, as well as tropical notes of green mango. 14.1% ABV.

2016 vintage

Bay Area Wine Tour; 1/11/2019-1/15/2019 (Bay Area, CA) : Great fruit on nose, lovely texture, pseudosweet

2016 vintage

Great Thanksgiving wine. Lots of honey suckle and acidity. Awesome.

2016 vintage

Great mineral, low oak Chardonnay. Crisp and delicious.

2016 vintage

There's some smoky mineral action to the nose along with ripe white peach and vanilla. It is dense, full and unctuous. It builds through the palate and finishes with plenty of dry extract and citrus rind flavours.

2016 vintage

There's plenty happening on the nose, with notes of honeysuckle, ripe peach, vanilla and mandarin. It is rich and voluptuous but by no means heavy. There's a fruit-sweet heart and a finish that is dry and energetic.

2016 vintage

Excellent Chardonnay that shows lemony cut as well as fresh peach, and fills out in the palate with stony and spicy tones. It’s fruit and mineral driven, not dominated by oak. The long finish focuses on fruit with just a touch of spice.

2016 vintage

Note from the winery: Always a wine of complexity, each additional year of vine age seems to add layers of weight and texture. Sea air and Meyer lemon jump from the glass balanced by a flinty mineral tone, notes of orange blossom and a lengthy finish. Aged for 11 months in 15% New French Oak, 30% Nomblot Concrete Egg, and 10% Stainless Steel. Bottled unfined, unfiltered. You may want to consider grabbing a magnum or two and cracking it open …

2016 vintage

Failla Cave Tour and Tasting. Appearance is clear, pale intensity, lemon colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium intensity, with aromas of tropical melon, honeydew, ripe citrus lemon, light toast. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14.1%), medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of honeydew, ripe peaches, ripe citrus lemon, light tosst. Long finish. Very good quality. Another 3+ years of age should allow the underlying volcanic soil terroir and mienrality to emerge from beneath the later …

2016 vintage

West Sonoma Coast Tasting (Washington, DC) : A fantastic young Chard. Rich depth of aromas but so fresh and salty, too. Tangy but plump, white peaches and lemon curd laced with crushed rocks, sea breeze, floral tones. I'd love to see how this develops over the next few years.

2016 vintage

The nose showed crushed stone minerality and ginger spice, with lifting floral tones, and hints of lime. On the palate, I found soft textures with ripe peach and pear, leading to inner florals and brown spice, in a wonderfully balanced expression. It lasted long on the finish with floral peach and hints of cooling mint. Yum.

2016 vintage

Complex aromatics of citrus blossom, preserved lemon, smoky mineral and white peach. It is full, rich and powerful, with a core of sappy orchard fruits. There's a creamy quality to the wine but it has terrific detail too. It finishes with decent cut and length is imposing.

2016 vintage

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Failla Chardonnay Estate Vineyard

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