Back Vintage Discovery: 60% Off Beautifully Aged California Chardonnay 

2013 Legacy (Stonestreet) Alexander Valley Chardonnay (Previously $75) $29.95

94 points Vinous: "The 2013 Chardonnay emerges from the Upper Barn parcel on Alexander Mountain Estate that also informs one of the Stonestreet Chardonnays. Ample, broad and creamy, with tons of mountain structure, the 2013 exudes class and polish. Honey, butter, orange peel and exotic floral notes blossom effortlessly in the glass. Subtle and yet powerful, the 2013 is marvelously complete, yet it also needs time to peak."

Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 03, 2025

I've long thought that there was something especially fascinating about aged white wines. Sure, aged reds get most of the attention, but when a white wine ages beautifully, adding complexity and depth while retaining its vital vibrancy and focus, I find it truly compelling. That is exactly how I felt when I recently tasted these stunning bottles of Chardonnay from Legacy. To be honest with you I was shocked at how fresh and youthful the 2013 was. This wine could easily pass for a bottling of only 2-3 years old. But as the wine opens in the glass and warms up slightly the unmistakable complexities emerge taking the wine to a whole new level of nuance and intricacy. The crushed quince and baked apple is joined by toasted almond, stone ground flour, dry leaves, crush rock, hints of dried meadow flowers and spiced orange peel. Intensely mineral and savory rocky tinges mingle with the pristine and crystalline orchard fruit and warm pastry toasty notes.

I love the combination of bright, fresh, racy focus, plus some broader savory elements creeping into the finish that fans out to the edges of the palate. Beautiful wine that's absolutely in it's prime drinking window but with another 3-5 years of aging potential and probably more. The fact that this wine comes from one of the most highly regarded blocks of old vine Chardonnay in the state is evident in the quality of the wine...however, the pricing that we managed to secure belies the pedigree and world-class nature of this wine. Take my word for it, this wine is one of the finest bottles of aged California Chardonnay I have experienced in many years, if not ever.

Scott Beckerley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 03, 2025

A New Year's surprise, this! Like the 2016 version, also somewhat Burgundian but, even more so. This time out, the nose of more baked golden apple than Granny Smith apple. There are also scents of roasted pine nuts, bread dough and soft lemon citrus. There is also a very slight smokiness. On the palate, quite mouth filling with generous round yellow fruits. Golden apple and pear puree. Once it settles in, like the 2013, there is a very nice mineral and citrus note. The finish lingers ay the tip and sides of the tongue with soft ginger spice. I think that I hear the magnum calling out to me.

Alexandre Tweedie | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 03, 2025

With over a decade of gorgeous bottle age, this 2013 vintage Chardonnay from Stonestreet Winery is only *just* beginning to sing its' song of beautiful maturity - scents of warm wool and cool ocean air dance around the flinty underpinnings of the nose, leading to waves of brûléed lemon and sun-toasted white flower petals. The palate is lined with dense, richly stacked layers of primary fruit - baked golden apples fresh from the oven slowly transition to slightly tropical baking tones of pineapple upside down cake and lemon-lime custard richness. In it's age, savory mineral undercurrents of rounded river stones and brooke-side soil provide an incredibly fresh lift to the richer styled fruit, bringing this wine perfectly into its drinking window today. At a price *far* below what a wine of this pedigree would command outside of our shop, look to the Legacy collection from Stonestreet, and revel in the balance & beauty of well-aged, vintage California chardonnay!

2016 Legacy (Stonestreet) Alexander Valley Chardonnay (Previously $75) $29.95

95+ points Jeb Dunnuck: "Legacy used to be a part of Stonestreet, but today is its own label. The 2016 Chardonnay is terrific and comes from higher elevation sites in Alexander Valley. It was aged 11 months in 31% new French oak. With a mix of Old World/New World style in its buttered orchard fruits, citrus blossom, charcoal, and melon aromas and flavors, it's medium to full-bodied, has good concentration, and its bright acidity keeps everything fresh, focused, and tight. This gorgeously textured 2016 needs 2-4 years of cellaring and will drink nicely over the following decade. 95+"

95 points Vinous: "The 2016 Chardonnay is bright, focused and energetic, with tons of citrus peel, white flower and crushed rock character. This is an especially fine, chiseled wine from Legacy, and also a more than worthy follow up to the 2015 and 2014."

93 points Wine Advocate: "The 2016 Chardonnay opens with a quiet intensity of fresh apples, ripe pears and waxed lemon scents with nuances of baking bread, nutmeg and chopped nuts. Medium-bodied, the palate features great freshness cutting through the intense citrus and apple layers, finishing on a mineral note. 364 cases produced. 93+"

Ryan Woodhouse | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 03, 2025

I've long thought that there was something especially fascinating about aged white wines. Sure, aged reds get most of the attention, but when a white wine ages beautifully, adding complexity and depth while retaining its vital vibrancy and focus, I find it truly compelling. That is exactly how I felt when I recently tasted these stunning bottles of Chardonnay from Legacy. To be honest with you I was shocked at how fresh and youthful the wines were. The 2016 could easily trick you into thinking it was a 2021 vintage wine.

The complexity wines gain from aging are only just starting to emerge here adding subtle nuance to the stunning purity of fruit and racy minerality the wine possesses in spades. Baked golden orchard fruit, toasted barley grains, crush rock minerals, salted lemon, wet river stone, freshly baked wholegrain bread, hints of quality, spicy oak are beautifully integrated. The initial attack of the wine is youthful and primary, but in the finish you can just start to pick up on some savory, yeasty, nutty development hints, but at this point the wine is most definitely still in its ascendancy. A beautiful wine with undeniable pedigree that's entering its prime drinking window with another 5-8+ years of aging potential and probably more. Incredible wine that will continue to improve for several more years and probably drink well beyond 2030.

Scott Beckerley | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 03, 2025

This very Burgundian re-release from Legacy was quite the pleasant surprise from the holiday season. A great nose of honeycomb, savory herbs, baked pears and citrus. Starts out clean on the palate and quickly fleshes and fills out with yellow apple followed by Granny Smith apple. There is some noticeable oak that tends toward a cleaner style. There is some nice ginger spice on the lingering finish that is citrus dominant. An extremely interesting wine that is unique and complex.

Alexandre Tweedie | K&L Staff Member | Review Date: January 03, 2025

Compared to their 2013 vintage, Stonestreet's 2016 Legacy bottling shows a more pronounced penchant for acidity and herbal characteristics - bright and clean aromatics of fresh bee balm, dried white verbena flowers, with touches of wild honey spinning around the edges of these herbal tones. The palate has a lifted, focused acidity that peels right into a rockier minerality when compared again to the 2013, the minerality is still river-stone dominant, but just a hint more lively, think roughly hewn riverbed rocks as opposed to slow rounded stones, in a very positive manner! With this mineral lift in mind, the palate pays a touch closer attention to crisp orchard fruits of green apple and lime, while still allowing depth from oak to flesh out and deepen the tenser fruit on display. Blow-torch roasted pineapples, slices of sea-salted green apple, playful corners of toasted marshmallow and vanilla bean - a truly stellar deal for a truly stellar library release California Chardonnay!