Foxen chardonnays are some of California's best kept secret chardonnays. This is because Foxen produces them in a Burgundian style using some of the best fruit in California, often in very small batches. This is due to its globally unique terroir, including lateral mountain ranges which allows cool ocean air to flow inland. The various weather patterns and temperatures allow for a much longer hang time on the vines than in many other places thus providing the freedom for the grapes to fully ripen. A common saying in the area is, "God gives us perfection, it's up to us not to F it up." Bill Wathen takes perfection and puts it in a bottle. He is able to do this because he has complete control over the management of the Bien Nacido blocks Foxen uses for their wines. Most of the grapes used in this wine were planted in 1973 (with additional plantings in 1991). The older the vine, the higher the quality and suppleness of the grapes. Here at the Bon Vivant Gourmets, we like to cherish and age that perfection in the bottle and the rewards are well worth the wait. Here is another of Foxen's aged chardonnays - the 2013 Block UU Bien Nacido chardonnay.
This is the same wine as previously tasted but at a younger age. Whereas the '10 had 5+ years aging and a different climatic season, the '13 is a bit younger and has the beginning struggles of the drought, which is most certainly reflected in the quality of this wine. The initial appearance has very good clarity with tints of lemon and pear as light as a sun ray.
On the nose, this wine screams lemon shortcake! It is followed by much more succinct mineral notes than in the '10 and much more pronounced hints of exotic fruits such as mango, pomegranate, papaya followed by notes of lobster butter.
On the nose, this wine screams lemon shortcake! It is followed by much more succinct mineral notes than in the '10 and much more pronounced hints of exotic fruits such as mango, pomegranate, papaya followed by notes of lobster butter.
On the palate, the first impression is pure cream! Silky smooth! Very well structured with complexity and great balance. Very rich! Vanilla custard, lemon tart, lemon cake, followed by nice, noticeable minerals not previously present...the minerals are steely with impressions of wet rocks in a stream followed by lemon butter and a finish that lingers a very long time! Hints of butterscotch on the finish bring together this very complex yet very well structured purity of terroir expression.
