The 2022 Chardonnay leads with a nose redolent of white chocolate praline, roasted/salted/crushed cashews, orange oil, vanilla pod and wafer. In the mouth, the phenolics serve to almost balance the opulent fruit; this is a huge, pillowy wine of substance and volume. It tastes the way custard cooking on the stove smells, warming, soft and rich. The combination of a warm season, with the opulence of the Moss Wood Chardonnay style, has produced a wine of ample, capacious, billowing flavor. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

In October 2021, I stopped in for half a day at Moss Wood and tasted through the Chardonnays (estate and Ribbon Vale) and Cabernets (estate and Ribbon Vale) from barrel, to help me better understand the spectrum of coopers and their impact on the finished wines. So, having looked at this wine two years ago, broken down into four different components, I can see how this finished product came to be this way. There was plenty of rain about in 2021, and the later-picked Moss Wood Chardonnay fruit benefited from some extra hang time after the first deluge in early to mid-February. The 2021 Chardonnay is concentrated and nutty and littered with roasted pineapple, citrus flesh, creamed cashew, red apples and clotted cream. Loads of acid mingling with the fruit. This is a deep, rich wine, consistent with the Moss Wood Chardonnay style. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.

In 2019, the crop was halved by spring frost, but the 2019 Chardonnay that survived is a beauty. Honeyed, toasted grain notes accent peach and pineapple fruit. It's medium to full-bodied, with a ripe, creamy texture, then a long, spice-driven finish.

The 2018 Chardonnay is just a bit riper and rounder than typical here, with luscious peach and pineapple flavors. It's full-bodied, with ample weight and richness, a plush, sexy texture and just enough acidic bite to balance out the finish. It should drink well through 2025 or so.

Subtle scents of vanilla custard entwine with hints of pineapple and peach on the nose of the 2015 Chardonnay. Having undergone full malolactic, it's plump and medium to full in body without any hard edges yet shows no overt buttery notes. The character of this wine shows on the explosive, citrusy finish, which lingers elegantly on the palate.