The Reserve Hillside Chardonnay is excellent and reminds us of a mini Puligny-Montrachet with laser beam focus, lovely minerality, and cool fruits. It's a gorgeous bottle for the money and one of our favorite domestic Chardonnays we tasted last year. Brilliant work by Raj Par and the Stolo Family; these are our last bottles, so grab them while you can!
Rajat Parr's is creating fresh, exciting Chardonnay from California, and 2021 is the first vintage he has finished by himself at Stolo. Raj started working with Stolo Family vineyards in 2019, and the wines were quickly a success, making lovely Chardonnay with a nod towards Burgundy. We offered the regular 2020 Chardonnay a few months back, but this is even better and is his "Reserve Hillside" bottling.
The Chardonnay vines here were planted over three decades ago, with The Hillside Reserve Vineyard sitting atop an ancient sea mount of Monterey Shale limestone and thin top soils. Ocean views from the top of the vineyard illustrate why cool, foggy nights complement the soils to produce well-structured grapes for winemaking. These are dry-farmed original vines, farmed sustainably and left undisturbed for 30 years, giving them a deep root structure, thin canopies, and resilient vine stock.
Raj has an incredible palate from being a Somallier for many years, and he thinks this is one of the best regions in California for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The 2021 is gorgeous and the perfect wine for both European and domestic palates. This was just released and is simply fantastic.
Wine Advocate (Erin Brooks) 95 pts! "The 2021 Chardonnay Estate Hillside Reserve comes from some of the first vines in Cambria, planted in 1998 by John Alban, and was partially matured in new oak. It opens with touches of flint and charcuterie that give way to peaches, quince and banana with notes of acacia and honey. The medium-bodied palate is surprisingly fresh and bright, offering a silky texture, generous spicy accents and a long, flinty finish. It could use another year or two in bottle to unwind."
2021 Stolo Family Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve Hillside
2021 Stolo Family Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve Hillside
$32.99
$32.99
The Reserve Hillside Chardonnay is excellent and reminds us of a mini Puligny-Montrachet with laser beam focus, lovely minerality, and cool fruits. It's a gorgeous bottle for the money and one of our favorite domestic Chardonnays we tasted last year. Brilliant work by Raj Par and the Stolo Family; these are our last bottles, so grab them while you can!
Rajat Parr's is creating fresh, exciting Chardonnay from California, and 2021 is the first vintage he has finished by himself at Stolo. Raj started working with Stolo Family vineyards in 2019, and the wines were quickly a success, making lovely Chardonnay with a nod towards Burgundy. We offered the regular 2020 Chardonnay a few months back, but this is even better and is his "Reserve Hillside" bottling.
The Chardonnay vines here were planted over three decades ago, with The Hillside Reserve Vineyard sitting atop an ancient sea mount of Monterey Shale limestone and thin top soils. Ocean views from the top of the vineyard illustrate why cool, foggy nights complement the soils to produce well-structured grapes for winemaking. These are dry-farmed original vines, farmed sustainably and left undisturbed for 30 years, giving them a deep root structure, thin canopies, and resilient vine stock.
Raj has an incredible palate from being a Somallier for many years, and he thinks this is one of the best regions in California for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The 2021 is gorgeous and the perfect wine for both European and domestic palates. This was just released and is simply fantastic.
Wine Advocate (Erin Brooks) 95 pts! "The 2021 Chardonnay Estate Hillside Reserve comes from some of the first vines in Cambria, planted in 1998 by John Alban, and was partially matured in new oak. It opens with touches of flint and charcuterie that give way to peaches, quince and banana with notes of acacia and honey. The medium-bodied palate is surprisingly fresh and bright, offering a silky texture, generous spicy accents and a long, flinty finish. It could use another year or two in bottle to unwind."
