2020 Haynes Vineyard, Corazon, Chardonnay, Coombsville, Napa Valley, California, USA
Critics reviews
The 2020 Chardonnay Corazon, also from the original 1967 Wente clone planting, shows an added dimension of textural elegance and resonance. Citrus peel, dried flowers, chamomile, marzipan, pastry and spice fill out the layers. Bright, salivating acids are pretty much buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. The 2020 was aged in a combination of cask and smaller French oak barrels.
Drink 2024 - 2030
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (December 2023)
More presence in this with cooked apple, pie crust, flint and nutmeg. Full-bodied yet so light on its feet. Light apricot, peach and hints of apple. It goes on and on. So vertical and long. Breathtaking energy and super length. Chardonnay planted (Wente clone) in 1968. 100 cases made.
Drinkable, but this will age for decades ahead.
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com (February 2023)
Just a lovely, layered and creamy Chardonnay with so much energy and verve it should be stopped for speeding. Medium-bodied and boasting a complex fruit profile of lemons and lemon blossoms, lime essence, and a dollop of apricot cream, scented with white springtime flowers, all framed by laser-like acidity with stony mineral underpinnings. Utterly delicious.
Winemaker Nico Cueva employs the same process for the three fancifully named Haynes Vineyard Chardonnays (Vigneron, Forgeron, and Corazon). They are whole bunch pressed with sur lie ageing in 500-2000-litre neutral casks for 22 months of elevage. Native yeast ferments. Unfined unfiltered. Cueva explains the fanciful names as such: ‘Vigneron is what we grow. Forgeron is what we build (out of a barrel selection), and Corazon is what we love’.
Drink 2023 - 2043
Jonathan Cristaldi, Decanter.com (February 2023)
About this WINE
Haynes Vineyard
The first Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines were planted at Haynes Vineyard in 1967—they are now the oldest vines of these varieties in the Napa Valley. This slice of Coombsville, the coolest of Napa’s subregions, has a plethora of different soil types.
With such varied soils, the Haynes team now produces a range of single-vineyard wines, including three Chardonnays, a Pinot Noir and a Syrah.
Lawrence Wine Estates is only the third owner in Haynes Vineyard's history. The first was Nathan Coombs, after whom Coombsville is named. Winemaker Nico Cueva has been here since 2020, having started his working life as an organic farmer. He considers himself a responsible caretaker of the land he works on and is keen to produce expressive and elegantly distinctive wines.
Napa Valley
North Coast's Napa Valley is California's most famous viticultural area (AVA), claiming some of the most expensive agricultural land in the world and producing wines of ‘cult’ status.
Its 16,000 ha of vines lie over a strip (40 miles long-5 miles wide) of diverse soils (clay, gravely, volcanic), with its northernmost end on the side of Mountain Helena and its foot in San Francisco Bay. The valley is framed by two mountains ranges Vaca (to the north) and Mayacamas (to the south), yet the main climatic influence is the cool wind and fog that is sucked in from San Pablo Bay during the afternoon, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.
The area enjoys a variety of unique microclimates, as temperatures can vary dramatically as much as 15 degrees, from the north to the south end of the valley. These differences have led to the creation of several sub-AVAs (14 in total) including:
Atlas Peak, Chiles Valley District, Diamond Mountain District, Howell Mountain, Los Carneros, Mt. Veeder, Oakville, Rutherford, St. Helena, Spring Mountain District, Stags Leap District, Yountville, Wild Horse Valley and Oak Knoll District. The Calistoga AVA is still pending approval.
Both the “Napa Valley” designation and the sub-AVA name must appear on the wine label simultaneously, with the exception of wines from the Carneros AVA, which is shared between the Napa Valley and the Sonoma County.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the undisputed king of Napa grapes, occupying over 45% of the vineyard acreage, followed by (predominantly) Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cab. Franc and to a lesser extent Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Dolcetto.
Recommended Producers
Frog's Leap, Dominus, David Ramey, Viader, Stag's Leap Cellars, Paras Vineyards, Heitz.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Only 100 cases produced, and with vines dating back to 1968, these are the oldest Chardonnay vines in Napa Valley. Corazon is the crown jewel of the Haynes vineyard, inspired by the Burgundian styles of the late eighties and early nineties. This wine shows immense concentration and length, with a tightly wound structure that promises great evolution over time. On the nose, it reveals elegant aromas of white peach, lemon zest, limeflower, and honeydew melon, all underpinned by a vibrant, racy acidity that ensures freshness and balance. At 12.95% abv, it is remarkably poised and will reward patience.
Alex Weller, Account Manager, Berry Bros. & Rudd (September 2024)
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