Tasting Notes: We won't soon forget the summer of 2001! Mother Nature gave us one of the most prolonged heat spells in memory, with temperatures in the high nineties every day from mid-May until after July Fourth and with little relief from coastal fog at night. The heat brought us an early and bountiful harvest, beginning August 21st and lasting through September 5th. We bottled the wine June 12th and 13th, 2002.

To introduce you to our 2001 Stony Hill Chardonnay, we tasted it against the 1998, 1999 and 2000 vintages, comparing its particular color, nose, mouth feel, fruitiness, weight, acidity, and finish with the others. We all agreed immediately that the 2001 vintage is one of the best- balanced, cleanest wines we have made in recent years! It shows palest straw color, distinctive Chardonnay aromas, intense fruit flavors, notable acidity and the lemon and mineral qualities that are Stony Hill's hallmark. In other words, the 2001 is just what our customers expect when they order our Chardonnay, It's a classic! For those of you familiar with our recent vintages, the 2001 has more concentrated fruit than the 1998, is less weighty, rich and forward than the 1999, and is closest in style to the 2000 but without the slightly toasty nose. The 2001 is clean as a whistle, fresh as a spring breeze and the finish goes on forever. We know you will like this wine.