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 2010 Block UU Bien Nacido chardonnay.
Aging wine takes a very unusual skill set: one needs to possess the ability and experience to estimate a general period when the wine may be peaking; one needs the knowledge and means of how to properly store and transport wine; and most importantly - above all else - one must possess patience. The symbiotic relationship of these attributes will result in one of the most blissful experiences known to man since the dawn of wisdom - the experience of consuming aged fine wine.
When we took this jewel out of the fridge, the youngest of the Bon Vivant Gourmets (and the only one that's a ham around a camera!) looked up, as if there had been a disturbance in the force - something was afoot! She watched as a group formed a circle around it and jumped up onto the bar when she heard the ever so familiar "*POP*" emanate from the kitchen. When the cork was released, the area was inundated with the most intoxicating bouquet! Such that someone suggested, "Let's see if Mikey likes it!" as we placed it atop the bar for little Viognier to assess. The moment was captured and her approval is obvious. She let out a small meow that begged, "Is it all for me?" Nope - sorry little one, not 'til your 21.
When we took this jewel out of the fridge, the youngest of the Bon Vivant Gourmets (and the only one that's a ham around a camera!) looked up, as if there had been a disturbance in the force - something was afoot! She watched as a group formed a circle around it and jumped up onto the bar when she heard the ever so familiar "*POP*" emanate from the kitchen. When the cork was released, the area was inundated with the most intoxicating bouquet! Such that someone suggested, "Let's see if Mikey likes it!" as we placed it atop the bar for little Viognier to assess. The moment was captured and her approval is obvious. She let out a small meow that begged, "Is it all for me?" Nope - sorry little one, not 'til your 21.
We very gently and slowly double decanted this elegant wine and let it rest for an hour. This allows for air to commingle with the wine and open its full potential, much in the same way that dancing with an equally skilled partner allows the couple to achieve a freedom of expression that could not otherwise be achieved independently.
When held to the light, the wine does not appear to have aged - there is a distinct lemon-peel hue that fades to clarity at the edge and when the glass isn't fogged, exhibits amazing clarity - especially for a wine that is unfiltered. With a quick and gentle swirl, those aforementioned intoxicants fill the area and nostrils to much delight. When approached to the nose for an even deeper inhalation, the true complexities of the wine's development expose themselves - the human nose is after all capable of sensing over 1 trillion scents with over 400 types of receptors. Noticeable up front is the distinct scent of Anjou pears followed by succinct minerality, honey on buttered toast (no doubt from the French oak barrels in the aging process) and soft lemon peel essence.
When held to the light, the wine does not appear to have aged - there is a distinct lemon-peel hue that fades to clarity at the edge and when the glass isn't fogged, exhibits amazing clarity - especially for a wine that is unfiltered. With a quick and gentle swirl, those aforementioned intoxicants fill the area and nostrils to much delight. When approached to the nose for an even deeper inhalation, the true complexities of the wine's development expose themselves - the human nose is after all capable of sensing over 1 trillion scents with over 400 types of receptors. Noticeable up front is the distinct scent of Anjou pears followed by succinct minerality, honey on buttered toast (no doubt from the French oak barrels in the aging process) and soft lemon peel essence.
When first tasting an exquisite wine, it's almost like a first kiss. You want to take everything in, not just that first amazing spark but rather the feeling of the other person, and allow oneself to be fully consumed in the moment. With wine, it begins with the sense of the wine - is it rough like the sandpaper of a kittens tongue or smooth like the silk wrapped around ones pillows? In the case of an aged Foxen chardonnay, it is like the gentle softness of one's first kiss. Effortlessly gliding across the tongue with an unctuous mouth-feel, the nasal cavity filling with the bouquet, the flavors flood the mind with complexity and humility. One is humbled. Immediately the Anjou pear opens to steely minerals from the earth, layered in Meyer lemons and honeysuckle butter. Then, surprisingly, as if to say, "don't forget about me!" lime appears on the finish. With perfectly integrated and well balanced acids, the experience is exactly why so many ancient texts (and modern!) have been written about wine.
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