January 18 , 2002

James Laube's HOT Wines:
Stony Hill 1999 Chardonnay (Napa Valley)

With hundreds of California wineries (and Chardonnays) to sift through, you don't hear much about Stony Hill anymore. Maybe that's not a bad thing, because it allows you to still be able to experience one of California's originals, and this Chardonnay fills the ticket.
      Fred and Eleanor McCrea planted their Chardonnay in Napa Valley in 1946, back when there were fewer than 200 acres of Chardonnay in the entire state (today there are more than 105,000 acres of Chardonnay.) The McCreas started making wines commercially in 1952 and established themselves as producers of incredibly long-lived Chardonnays. Much of the vineyard was replanted in 1988, a victim of Pierce's disease, and this wine is made from these now-mature grapes, barrel-fermented but also filtered lightly to inhibit malolactic fermentation. The McCreas' son and daughter-in-law, Peter and Willinda McCrea, now own the winery and stick pretty close to the original formula. Stony Hill Chardonnay has always been marked by its pure fruit flavors and absence of noticeable oak. This vintage, overseen by longtime winemaker Michael Chelini, offers generous spicy pear, peach, fig, nectarine and the signature Stony Hill mineral flavors. At this price, make sure you set aside a few bottles in a dark, cool space, because these wines are known for gaining nuance and depth with age.
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                              James Laube
                              Wine Spectator