Rombauer 2013 Chardonnay Carneros
Koerner Rombauer was born and raised in Southern California, in the small, agricultural town of Escondido, near San Diego. He attended public schools in Escondido and went to the same high school as Joan Ransome, who would later (in 1959) become his wife. Koerner’s first great career passion was flying, and was a commercial pilot with Braniff and flew as a captain along a South American route until the airline ceased operations in 1972. The Rombauers moved their family, two horses, and five dogs from Dallas to the Napa Valley. They purchased 40 acres of hilltop land on the Silverado Trail, near St. Helana, however without any desire to start a winery. In 1976 Koerner and Joan became partners in Conn Creek Winery and learned the business from the ground up. In 1981 they sold their interest in Conn Creek Winery and began construction of the Rombauer Vineyards on their Silverado property.
Opening a bottle of their 2013 Carneros Chardonnay, the color was clear rich gold color, with layered fruit aromas of peaches, melon and pears, with a hint of spice. The taste did not disappoint, with a rich creamy taste of tropical and stone fruit flavors with just the right touch of graceful vanilla oak that should continue to develop over the next few years. Be sure to let this Chardonnay warm up a bit in your glass if it tends to fog up as you will want to taste all of the complex flavors that you will miss if the wine is too cold. The wine had a long smooth silky finish that had me craving for more! Delicious!
Cheers!