96pts Wine Advocate
The 2021 Chardonnay Lorenzo Vineyard comes from Wente selection vines planted in 1974. Its aromas unfold slowly from flinty tones to apricot and ripe citrus, beeswax, acacia and oyster shell. The palate is satiny and expansive without weight, and it flows through the mouth balanced by a crescendo of shimmery acidity. It could use several years in bottle to unwind.
94pts Vinous
The 2021 Chardonnay Lorenzo Vineyard is without question the most closed wine in this range. It has been in tank for five months, so perhaps that is a factor. Hints of dried flowers, mint and white pepper emerge, but only with great reluctance. There is almost certainly more wine here than is obvious today. Lorenzo is one of the most pedigreed sites for Chardonnay in all of Sonoma County.
Winemaker’s Notes
This is a classic vintage from the old vines at Lorenzo Vineyard, and as always, one of my favorite wines of the year. The vines bloomed during a period of warm weather, so we’re blessed with eleven barrels this year rather than the normal nine. The style here is the complete antithesis of soft, buttery Californian Chardonnay. Instead, it’s tense, focused, direct and mineral. I suggest you drink it over two nights to see the wine evolve to honey and beeswax richness. You could even gently decant the wine to hasten this evolution. These old vines naturally offer a high level of vine extract – the product of the grape skins themselves – which blends perfectly with the high acidity of the site. The result is chewy richness with vibrant limey acidity – a deft and perfect combination. There’s really nothing quite like this in the rest of Sonoma County or even California in its entirety.
Savory aromas of tea, botanicals, lemongrass and mint are offset by grapefruit and lime intensity. The wine’s taut fruit profile is balanced by deep texture and chewy richness. Flavors of lime juice and lemon zest dominate the palate. Charging acidity extends the wine’s finish with white pepper and flinty notes. As the wine deepens in the glass honey, ginger and beeswax richness asserts control. Serve at no cooler than 55F and drink between late-2023 and 2031.
This is a classic vintage from the old vines at Lorenzo Vineyard, and as always, one of my favorite wines of the year. The vines bloomed during a period of warm weather, so we’re blessed with eleven barrels this year rather than the normal nine. The style here is the complete antithesis of soft, buttery Californian Chardonnay. Instead, it’s tense, focused, direct and mineral. I suggest you drink it over two nights to see the wine evolve to honey and beeswax richness. You could even gently decant the wine to hasten this evolution. These old vines naturally offer a high level of vine extract – the product of the grape skins themselves – which blends perfectly with the high acidity of the site. The result is chewy richness with vibrant limey acidity – a deft and perfect combination. There’s really nothing quite like this in the rest of Sonoma County or even California in its entirety.
