So just spent four days in Ventura County. Took a case of wine, which all got devoured, and had no intentions of bringing anything home. My cellar's full.
But then our hosts opened a bottle of the 2014 Clos Pepe Santa Rita Hills chardonnay to enjoy with lunch. Oh my. It is my idea of a perfect chardonnay and the best possible intersection of old world ideas and new world fruit. Pale yellow, intense yet generous, steely but fruity, thrilling acidity and absolutely nothing tropical about it. With a perfect track record--it's a California chardonnay that ages like real Burgundy, and '14 was not an OTT kind of year. This is as good as any Pepe I've ever had, and I've had quite a few! I immediately declared my love for Pepe (pronounced pee pee this time) and it became an oft-repeated theme of the weekend the way silly things do with longtime friends.
Then on Sunday off I went to Gelson's to pick up a grocery item and there, lo and behold, was the '14 chardonnay, and I bought six bottles--$22.50 ea and more than the $15 winery close-out deal my friends got but still about half retail and better for my tastes than most $40+ California chardonnays. I then ended up at Costco and discovered the pinot for $25, and bought four of those which maxed out my carton.
So, net zero in terms of freeing up cellar space, but I'm happy.