2020 Durell Vineyard Chardonnay
Notes
Pale straw yellow. Grilled citrus, dried yellow flowers and weighted marine tones marry with the deep, dense nature of flavors and textures of the Durell. Ripe juicy yellow orchard fruits, nut oil and minerality all equally present and pervasive on the palate. A classic, poised sense of concentration without overt weight, heightened by the low crops of the vintage. It’s everything we’ve come to expect from Durell.
Join To PurchaseReviews
96 points
Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck
The only difference between this parcel and the Stone Flat Vineyard bottling is the rootstock, which here in the Durell Vineyard produces more dense and compact bunches. The 2020 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard certainly is more concentrated with its aromatics of ripe stone fruits, peach, orange blossom, buttercream, and honey. The palate is matched with intensity and richness, with orange oil, white flowers, and a long finish. Drink 2023-2033.
97 points
Erin Brooks, The Wine Advocate
The 2020 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard offers singular aromas of apple, lime peel, iodine and flint, with classy baking spices from its maturation in 38% new French oak. Aromatically dynamic, it segues from its initial spice and mineral tones to generous white peaches, clotted cream and crystalized honey. The palate explodes with flavor, its pure, concentrated fruits refreshed by tangy acidity that calls you in for another sip. Satiny, expansive and energetic, it has a very long, gently textural finish. Normally about 1,000 cases are made, but in the challenging 2020 vintage, only 460 cases are available.
96 points
James Suckling
A warm citrus and floral nose with a note of ginger, too. Medium-bodied with a lovely evolution from delicate lemon and orange-peel notes to hay and grated nutmeg. Excellent balance and length. So delicious now, but has more to give with age.
