Good full green-tinged yellow. Deep, exotic aroma of butterscotch, apricot, quince, papaya and guava. Fat, rich and deep, with lovely inner-mouth sweetness leavened by the wine’s lemon and mineral notes. A plump, very long wine that opens impressively on the back end while retaining Marcassin’s characteristic uncompromising dryness.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: While John Wetlaufer thought the 2000 Chardonnay Upper Barn, from the re-named Jess Jackson owned vineyard now called Alexander Mountain Estate, to be the finest they have made, I thought it was evolved in both color and flavor. It came across as a trifle cloying, which is an adjective I have never applied to any Marcassin wine. It possesses a deep medium gold color, not surprising given the fact that this vineyard often produces deeper colored wines. The buttery popcorn, hazelnut, and toasty notes were forward, but there is tremendous power as well as a leesy richness, and decent underlying acidity…
- Wine Spectator: Brilliant yellow gold, with a complex bouquet of fig, honeysuckle, anise and butterscotch flavors that carry over nicely to the palate, where they maintain their richness and gain a measure of finesse and nuance.
Producer Information
Marcassin is a leading Sonoma Coast wine label owned by famous winemaker Helen Turley and her viticulturalist husband John Wetlaufer. Turley is one of the most influential winemakers in California, and has acted as a consultant for many of the region’s top estates, including Pahlmeyer and Peter Michael Winery.The estate is regarded as a benchmark producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and the wines are known for their rich opulent style and ageworthiness. A majority of the wines produced by Marcassin are exclusively released to members of the mailing list.In the winery, Chardonnay is pressed in whole bunches, while the Pinot Noir is destemmed and cold-soaked prior to fermentation with wild yeasts. Aging takes place in new French oak with no fining, filtering or cold stablization prior to bottling. The wines are then aged further in the cellar for around five years before release.
