2019 Giaconda Chardonnay (Pre-arrival)

Singed bush, eucalypt, campfire remains and black tea rise out of the glass of this 2019 Chardonnay. Beneath it all, there’s struck match, salty reduction and layers of preserved lemon, brine and a hint of camphor. In the mouth, the wine forges a path across the palate, stopping for no man (or woman), and cascades off the back of the palate into a long abyss of endless flavor. It spools and spirals, and if it had a sound, it would fade slowly until it was hard to discern between sensation and memory. This is an utter pleasure to drink, to consider and to smell. With an inexhaustible length of flavor, it is immune to hyperbole. Drink it whenever you like to drink Chardonnay—for me, that’s from 2023 onward.