BLISSFUL Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 2019 Karia Chardonnay (California)

California Chardonnay is making the turn towards fresher, fruitier wines. 

It's been a slow roll out, but it's getting there. 

This wine is pointed in the right direction

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 2019 Karia Chardonnay

 

... WRITTEN REVIEW ...

The chill here was perfect and brought out so many of this white's cool temperature loving characteristics. “Karia” is Greek for graceful and that's just what this wine was: super-pleasant from beginning to end. Rich, smoky, oaky, but with a fruit core, that doles out salinity and good acidity; vanilla and some butterscotch also join the show. The wine is made in what Marcus called “a less intervention style”. Only 9 months in barrel, 34% new, all French, with 8% going into stainless steel to retain a modicum of freshness. There's also 0.5% Muscat Canelli that sneaks in - just enough to give it a floral aspect.

 

INCREDIBLE - Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 2019 Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon (C...

Many superlatives can be used to describe the Artemis Cabernet. 

I use a few of my own in this video for the 

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 2019 Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon

 

 

Marcus (winemaker) describes 2019 as a "challenging, but good. Vintage" overall. The wine has a drop (.5%) of Cabernet Franc and the blend spends 15 months in oak, 42%, new French and 6% new American, all the rest is in older French. The fruit is pure and robust: plum, black cherry, blackberry with notes of chocolate, white smoke and silky tannins. Through the evening, the wine opened and became even more silky and ultimately gorgeous for both sipping and sniffing – the grilled beef fillet was not let down by the wine, nor vice versa. Purity of fruit and complexity makes this wine and the cellaring potential sits at about 15 plus years.