Stony Hill Vineyard | Collector's Notes of Stony Hill Vineyard wine

Tasting Notes - A selection of Stony Hill wines beginning with the 1956 Chardonnay Sunday, February 27, 2000

The occasion for tasting these wines was a Sunday lunch party here at Stony Hill for the winners of our lot at the Philharmonia Baroque Auction in San Francisco last fall. The lot included lunch prepared by Chef Traci Des Jardins of Jardiniere Restaurant in San Francisco with wines donated by a notable San Francisco wine collector. Because Traci's pairing of food and wine was as extraordinary a match as we have ever experienced, I'm including a copy of the menu for you to virtually savor, with the tasting notes following.

Philharmonia Baroque Lunch Party
Sunday, February 27, 2000
Stony Hill Vineyard

Ahi Tuna Tartare
Dungeness Crab Cakes
Foie Gras on Brioche
1985 Stony Hill White Riesling
1990 Stony Hill White Riesling
1997 Stony Hill White Riesling

Rhode Island Black Bass with Gingered Tomato Compote and Cilantro Coulis
1978 Stony Hill Gewurztraminer
1991 Stony Hill Gewurztraminer
1997 Stony Hill Gewurztraminer

Roasted Maine Lobster with Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Fennel
1983 Stony Hill Chardonnay
1990 Stony Hill Chardonnay
1996 Stony Hill Chardonnay

Stuffed Quail with Salsify and Caramelized Cippolini Onions, Vanilla Scented Quail Jus and Hazelnut Brown Butter
1958 Stony Hill Chardonnay
1962 Stony Hill Chardonnay
1975 Stony Hill Chardonnay

Apple Tart with Green Apple Sorbet and Caramel Sauce
1997 Semillon de Soleil

Chef Traci Des Jardins
Jardiniere

Tasting Notes

	1985 White Riesling Gold color. A whiff of edelfirn in the nose that sometimes comes with age. Dried fruit flavors.
	1990 White Riesling Medium straw color. Perfumed bottle bouquet. Delicate fruit, well balanced elegant, smooth quality.
	1997 White Riesling Pale straw color. Flowery aromas. Delicate, fresh young fruit in the mouth.
	1997 Gewurztraminer Pale straw color. Young and delicate Gewurztraminer fruit.
	1991 Gewurztraminer Medium straw color. Honeyed nose. Wine has lost initial fruit and hasn't developed the rich spiciness we hope will come.
	1978 Gewurztraminer Dark Straw color. Still has great fruit and evolved richness. Delicate, smooth in the mouth. Great spicy aftertaste.
	1996 Chardonnay Pale straw color. Very young fruit with citrus and mineral notes. Drinkable now, but shows promise of developing richness and depth. Beginning to show French-like complexity. Delicate but powerful finish.
	1990 Chardonnay Medium straw color. Delicate, elegant fruit. Showing a slight honeyed quality. Mature, rich, and fruity.
	1983 Chardonnay Dark gold color. Honeyed nose. Tart, good acid. Less fruit, less complexity that the 1975 and 1962 vintages. Seems washed out. (By comparison, we tasted another bottle of the 1983 vintage a month later and found it fresh, lively and eminently drinkable, though it had never been graced with the richness of some other older vintages.)
	1975 Chardonnay Medium straw color. Toast and lemon in the bottle bouquet. Tart, young fruit. Vibrant and young compared with the older wines. French-like, a little toasty. Good structure still apparent. When this wine gets older it will show a lot of complexity. It hasn't hit the big, rich, old stage yet.
	1962 Chardonnay Light gold color. Our favorite of the day. Most complex of the older wines. Such fruit in the nose, apples and pears. As the wine opened in the glass, it became full-bodied and complex with a good acid structure, and ripe fruit flavors. Great depth of flavors on the tongue.
	1958 Chardonnay Gold color. You can taste the age in this old wine. Bottle bouquet gone off. Slight caramel nose. Tart, good acid. It has a spicy, nutty quality in the mouth and a rich sweetness.
	1956 Chardonnay Medium gold color. Too young for its age. Nose is toasty, nutty, apply. Good acid balance with rich, satisfying fruit and the taste of hazelnuts.