November 18, 1998

Some California wines do get better with age by Michael Lonsford

So many wines, so little time. (I know, I know, clichés are a dime a dozen and should be avoided like the plague...)

But before we get to the germane wines, let me state again that some - maybe not many, but some - California white wines can age. Case in point: Stony Hill.

This tiny winery has been producing chardonnays since the 1950s on what used to be a goat farm in the Napa Valley. Napa's Stony Hill and Sonoma's Hanzell Vineyards were probably the first "boutique" California wineries that sold virtually all their production by subscriptions, so in-demand and so low-production were their wines.

The old Stony Hill chardonnays were not the typical California chardonnays: overblown, overoaked butter bombs. Rather, they were marked by a lean acidity that let them age well. I tasted three older ones recently at a friend's house and was struck by how good two of them were.

At age 27, the 1971 was a marvel, still crisp, with seductive buttered-toast nuances. It's probably the best chardonnay I've tasted this year - from anywhere. The 1973 was favored by several of the tasters, and I like it too. The 1967 started out well but faded rapidly.

And the 1964, which I drank with a friend in 1985, remains perhaps the greatest chardonnay I've ever had, and that includes all the top producers of Montrachet I've been privileged to sample.

So if you're looking for a California chardonnay to keep for several years for a birthday or anniversary, sample as many as possible and pick one with a nice crispness to it. It may be less alluring right now than one of those big, buttery ones, but chances are good it'll last longer.