Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard, DuMOL 2018

This iconic vineyard in Carneros produced a bevy of beautiful wines in 2018, and the 2018 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard is no exception. I always find a tropical note on the nose from this vineyard, and this wine has lots of tart pineapple, exotic flowers, lemon zest, baking spices, and salty minerality to go with a pure, medium to full-bodied profile on the palate. The texture here is straight-up brilliant, its acidity is perfectly integrated, it has subtle background oak, and a great, great finish. It shows the more approachable style of the vintage and is already hard to resist, yet it promises to keep for 7-8 years. This was easily the finest set of releases I have tasted from winemaker Andy Smith. Drink between 2020-2028