2015 Cline Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

14.0% alc., pH 3.65, TA 0.59, RS 0.52 g/100ml, $14.99, screwcap. Harvest Brix 24.1ยบ. Grapes were gently de-stemmed and carefully pressed. Fermented in stainless steel after two days of cooling and settling. No malolactic fermentation. The lees were stirred for several months before racking to French oak barrels, 40% new, for 6 months. · Light golden yellow color in the glass. Delicate aromas of slate and apple. Easy going in a very delicate style that is clean and crisp, featuring flavors of lemon, pineapple, apple and petrol and a hint of sweet oak. Satisfactory rather than special. Tasted twice with a second bottle showing marked reductive notes of flint, burnt rubber and gun barrel that did not subside even when tasted the following day from a previously opened bottle. Score: 85. Reviewed April 19, 2017

Winery: Cline Family Cellars
From article: Sips of Recently Tasted California Chardonnay