January 2007 Wine Tasting Notes.
2004 Casa Cassara Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County.
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A golden-colored wine with a light amber hue. The nose shows strong ripe apple and dried pineapple aromas. Notes of cinnamon, honey and hazelnut mingle with tropical notes. Generous apple and hazelnut flavors dominate the palate and are backed by mineral and spices. Hints of tropical flavors emerge as the wine warms. Well composed acids and mineral make for a dry, medium body with a lightly creamy mouthfeel. Ripe apple and mineral persist on the medium finish giving way to a citrus note at the end. |
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RWB Score: 92 breakdown 13.2% Alcohol $24.00 Retail (various retailers) 400 cases produced |
This is a mature and complex, food-friendly, well-aged Chardonnay. Elegant, nutty, spice and tropical characteristics give it allure and charm. Nicely controlled alcohol levels are also a plus. A very good social wine as well. Refreshing and balanced it will pair well with white meat dishes over the next 3-4 years. |
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More Casa Cassara reviews. More on Santa Barbara County |
Sourced from the Zotovich Family Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA as well as vineyards in the Los Alamos Valley and the Santa Ynez AVA, the finished wine was aged 16 months in two-year old French oak.
DNA profiling at UC Davis indicate Chardonnay is a cross between a nearly extinct variety: gouais blanc (now, ironically, a somewhat "undesirable" grape) and an unidentified member of the "pinot" family (most likely pinot noir). Chardonnay requires close attention in the vineyard during ripening as it can quickly lose acidity, resulting in clumsy wine. Hence, its best examples come from cooler climates. Also called Beaunois and Morillon, it ranges from subtle to distinct – depending on winemaking style. It displays crisp aromas and flavors of apples, apricots, citrus, peaches, pears as well as tropical fruit. Floral notes of acacia are also common. Terroir can gain distinct expression in the form of flint, mineral or mint characteristics. The small, thin-skinned Chardonnay grapes tend to make wines that express traits acquired during vinification. Depending on the degree of malolactic fermentation allowed and cooperage selection, butter, cream, vanilla and hazelnuts come forward. Chardonnay also is apt to take on oak characteristics during barrel aging. Perhaps this characteristic may be the reason for the current trend of departure from an overly oaky style which were initially intended to mimic great Burgundian whites.
The Zotovich Family Vineyard (formerly part of the Morovino estate) in the Sta. Rita Hills is located about two miles from the Melville and Babcock vineyards west of Buellton on Highway 246. The fairly young vineyard is planted to Chardonnay, Docletto and Pinot Noir vines are subject to the cooling marine effect seen in this western portion go the Santa Ynez Valley. Sandy soils provide good drainage and a long growing season set the stage for potential balance in the wine produced here.
The hot 2004 growing season was one of the shortest in the history of the state. Harvest came two to three weeks earlier than usual, at the start of August. Statewide reports of light to normal yields of excellent quality fruit with superb extraction raised anticipation of the wines to come. However, red wines from this vintage are proving variable by our experience. While this "crop of crops" was lauded as producing highly extracted fruit, some wines have been rather unbalanced while others were stunning an memorable. This seems to depend more on the combination of AVA and vineyard management, rather than winemaking techniques. Each offering from this vintage should be judged individually and not by virtue of vintage alone since the shortened growing season affected different varietals in different AVAs and even vineyards.
Casa Cassara Winery is a small vineyard and winery producing wines in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. The winery carries a strong Babcock influence. Joining John Krska, (who became wine maker at Casa Cassara and is now General Manager), is wine maker Brian Freeborn. He started his career in 1997 at Fess Parker Winery in the cellar and as a harvest worker. He then worked at Bridlewood Winery and Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards where he learned form Dan Gehrs. Although most familiar with Syrah, he has proven his mettle with Pinot Noir and since the 2004 harvest, Brian has been the Casa Cassara winemaker.
Currently, Casa Cassara produces approximately 2,200 cases annually. Only the Pinot Noir is estate-grown and the remainder of the fruit is purchased from local vineyards (mostly from the Sta. Rita Hills AVA) farmed to John Krska's specifications. In general, Casa Cassara wines are released with more bottle age than most in the area. They are complex and very food-friendly. Wines are currently being poured for tasting at the Olive House at 1661 Mission Drive in Solvang, in Solvang and the winery is building a tasting room outside Buellton, on Highway 246 (scheduled to open in March, 2007).
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5 points |
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Nose |
5 points |
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Palate |
3 points |
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Finish |
3 points |
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Astringency/Minerality |
5 points |
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Acidity |
5 points |
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Alcohol |
5 points |
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Aging potential |
2 points |
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Overall quality |
9 points |
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