The raw material for this successful white wine comes almost exclusively from the east-facing Lone Oak Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands, where Hahn also grows the red ‘Burgundy grape’ pinot noir. The sun thus hits this field early in the morning, which combined with the cool breezes of the Monterey Bay makes for an exceptionally long growing season; a prerequisite for ambitious wine with the right complexity.
Winemaker Paul Clifton pays great attention to the balance between fruit, acid and oak. He has chosen to use only French oak for the wine (from 3 different coopers!), as American oak would be too aromatically dominant. Approx. 40% of the casks are new, while the rest are old casks that have not contributed aromatically to the wine. After just under 12 months in the casks, the wine was bottled and now appears ready to drink, but at the same time there are still several good years in the wine, as the micro-oxidation that the wine gets during the cask aging prepares the wine for aging in the bottle. Over time, the nutty aromas will increase, while the fruit will become less prominent.
Hahn SLH Estate Chardonnay is a full-bodied and outgoing wine with generous aromas of tropical fruit with melon, mango and pineapple complemented by a little vanilla and butter-browned hazelnuts. The fatness is kept in check by a lively acidity, and the wine thus appears solid and extremely easy to drink!
We recommend Hahn SLH Estate Chardonnay as an accompaniment to a rustic chicken dish, preferably a’la creme, to masculine fish dishes or to light meat dishes with ditto sauces.
The serving temperature should be around 9-13°.
91 points Vinous.com
“Light shimmering yellow. Fresh pear, tangerine, peach and vanilla aromas take on suggestions of chalky minerals, buttered toast and pungent flowers with air. Juicy and seamless on the palate, offering mineral-tinged pear nectar, tangerine and honeysuckle flavors that spread out slowly on the back half. The floral quality carries emphatically through the energetic, spice-tinged finish, which lingers with very good tenacity. Light shimmering yellow. Fresh pear, tangerine, peach and vanilla aromas take on suggestions of chalky minerals, buttered toast and pungent flowers with air. Juicy and seamless on the palate, offering mineral-tinged pear nectar, tangerine and honeysuckle flavors that spread out slowly on the back half. The floral quality carries emphatically through the energetic, spice-tinged finish, which lingers with very good tenacity.”
