Zepaltas Wines
Babushka Chardonnay
Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA
Pineapple, mango, butter. Sourdough and a touch of hay on the nose. I'm a sucker for wax tops.
Pineapple, mango, butter. Sourdough and a touch of hay on the nose. I'm a sucker for wax tops.
Aug 12th, 2016
One of my favorites. They don't make it anymore 😔
One of my favorites. They don't make it anymore 😔
Nov 23rd, 2018Not so young. Some lemon, some grapefruit, and vanilla. Love this chard. Tons of character.
Not so young. Some lemon, some grapefruit, and vanilla. Love this chard. Tons of character.
Dec 16th, 2017Had the 14. This one dryer, more minerals, and nice bouquet. Nose of butter but palate of citrus.
Had the 14. This one dryer, more minerals, and nice bouquet. Nose of butter but palate of citrus.
Oct 22nd, 2017
This is a rad Russian River Valley chardonnay! I was going to pick up some nice Napa chardonnay as a little commemoration to the 40th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris today, but, as the case tends to be for Napa, everything I found was either not going to be worth the money, or was out of the budget I was comfortable spending at the moment. So I decided to pick up an interesting-looking California chardonnay that I had never had before to try instead, and I'm glad I landed on this one! This has great balance, and shows a deft, restrained hand in the winemaking process; no buttery vanilla bombs here! Layered with ripe yellow apple, fresh pineapple, a bit of toasted coconut and nutmeg spice, a bit of Parmigiano cheese rind, vibrant honeysuckle and an almost smoky crushed gravel minerality. Has a nice freshness with focused acid and decent length, with a nice texture that's fuller and silky, but not *heavy* or too rich, which is a good thing for me when it comes to chardonnay. Has that nice "simultaneous breadth and freshness" x-factor that I've really c@me to appreciate in balanced California chardonnays as of late. Alcohol sitting at a nice place, it's not hot at all. Overall, really stellar effort and great QPR. @Ryan Zepaltas this is a job well done; seriously great juice. Long live great American wine!
This is a rad Russian River Valley chardonnay! I was going to pick up some nice Napa chardonnay as a little commemoration to the 40th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris today, but, as the case tends to be for Napa, everything I found was either not going to be worth the money, or was out of the budget I was comfortable spending at the moment. So I decided to pick up an interesting-looking California chardonnay that I had never had before to try instead, and I'm glad I landed on this one! This has great balance, and shows a deft, restrained hand in the winemaking process; no buttery vanilla bombs here! Layered with ripe yellow apple, fresh pineapple, a bit of toasted coconut and nutmeg spice, a bit of Parmigiano cheese rind, vibrant honeysuckle and an almost smoky crushed gravel minerality. Has a nice freshness with focused acid and decent length, with a nice texture that's fuller and silky, but not *heavy* or too rich, which is a good thing for me when it comes to chardonnay. Has that nice "simultaneous breadth and freshness" x-factor that I've really c@me to appreciate in balanced California chardonnays as of late. Alcohol sitting at a nice place, it's not hot at all. Overall, really stellar effort and great QPR. @Ryan Zepaltas this is a job well done; seriously great juice. Long live great American wine!
May 25th, 2016
