Review: White Wines of Stony Hill, 2013 Releases
Stony Hill Vineyard is located in Napa Valley’s Spring Mountain AVA, where it specializes in white wines, particularly its award-winning Chardonnay. We sampled three of its latest releases for the 2013 drinking season. Thoughts follow.
2010 Stony Hill Chardonnay Napa Valley – Lemon, honeysuckle, and intriguing woody notes on the nose lead to a complex body, moderate in mouthfeel with light acidity. Here you find lots of orange and lemon notes, some honey — an almost Sauternes hint — midway through the finish. Don’t worry, it’s not a sugar bomb: The conclusion is dry and inviting, the honey character building on the nose as it warms in the glass. A real knockout. A / $42
2011 Stony Hill White Riesling Napa Valley – A bit heavy on the perfume on first blush, these heavy floral elements settle down with time in the glass, and the notes of carnation start to meld well with honey, crisp green apple, but the finish is all flowers, all the time. B / $27
2011 Stony Hill Gewurztraminer Napa Valley – Not much going on here. The bracing aromatics of good Gewurz are simply missing. What’s on offer instead are mild peach and apricot notes, with a lightly honeyed finish. Decent enough for porch sipping but not entirely memorable. B- / $24
2011 Stony Hill Gewurztraminer Napa Valley
$24
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