Tried this last night after the 2 cheapie whites from TJ failed to deliver:
1. OjaiVnyd Chard SolomonHillsVnyd/SantaMariaVlly SpecilaBottling (6 brls; 14%) 2006: Med.light gold color; some toasty/oak very slight nutty/oldRhone/old Oz SSemillon some honeyed rather minerally/celery/melony/Chard quite fragrant somewhat atypical nose; tart some toasty/pungent/oak honeyed/honeydew melon/celery/Chard rather minerally slight nutty/old Oz Semillon complex/interesting flavor; very long/lingering minerally/honeyed honeydew melon/Chard some toasty/oak slight old Oz Semillon finish; very interesting/unusual rendition of Chard. $34.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Before this SH Chard was harvested, Adam observed there was botrytis growing on some of the grapes, so he harvested these first and fermented it out dry. Having had a number of botrytis-effected Chards, both dry and sweet, I was expecting something a bit on the bizarre side. Not so, not bizarre at all. I'd guess the botrytis was rather light and didn't concentrate the juice all that much. It was a bit more intense/concentrated and had a very slight honeyed/old Oz Semillon character underneath, but it definitely spoke of Chard. Very interesting wine. He also has a dessert wine version of this as well, harvested after other SH customers rejected their botrytised grapes.
I don't think Adam gets the recognition for his Chards he deserves. They are always one of my must-buys every year. Same story on the SauvBlanc as well.
Tom