German Chardonnay
– Any Region that Excels at Pinot Noir Generally Excels at Chardonnay
– It Was Illegal to Plant Chardonnay in Germany for Many Years
– Now the Germans Are Catching Up
– The Wave Is Coming, “New Wave” German Chardonnay
– Like “Red Riesling,” the Precision of German Riesling
– The Best Versions Are Meursault-Like
2022 Thorle Reserve ChardonnayTremendous Depth
– 94 Points (Pigott)
– Absurdly Brilliant
– In Burgundy you Need to Pay $50+ a Bottle for Quality Like This
– Easily Village Meursault Quality for $29.99
– Smells like Meursault
– Tremendous Depth
– Beeswax, Butter, Rich Aromas
– Salty, Mineral and Ocean Breeze
– A Maelstrom of Aromas
– Stunningly Decadent but Also Allied with German Precision
– Palate: Big Green Apple Fruit and Pears
– Terrific Freshness and Sweet Fruit
– Amazing Density and Purity
– Will Age 10+ Years
2022 Thorle Kalk/Kriede Premier Cru
– 94 Points (Pigott)
– “revolutionary” (Pigott)
– “The kind of structure you expect from a good white Burgundy” (Pigott)
– Nose: Simply Lovely
– Green Apple and a Hint of Butter
– Wet Earth and Mineral
– Limestone and Terroir
– Laserlike Focus and Precision
– Like a Chablis Crossed with a Cote de Beaune
– With German Engineering Thrown In
– Palate: Juicy and Pure
– Textured, Rich and Concentrated
– Nimble and Pure
– Sappy and Electric/ CASE PRICING
The Style
So what does German Chardonnay taste like? I would call it “Meursault meets Germany.” I only sell a handful of them but the list is growing as quality improves.
They have the rich, buttery character of Meursault but also the raciness, clarity and precision that only Germany can get. In short, they are brilliant and very, very affordable now. Even at the high end with the brilliant Zieriesen Jaspis Chardonnay you get a more diamond-like Roulout expression of a Meursault 1er Cru like Perrieres or Boucheres. I think in 10-15 years once German Chardonnay matures we will see more Puligny/Chassagne types to come that are based on florality, hazelnuts, iodine and the such. If you drink White Burgundy and don’t want to pay the high prices for Meursault from a solid to top producer then I have the wine for you.
The Wines
The 2022 Thorle Reserve Chardonnay for $39.99 a bottle on a 4-pack is a stunning wine of incredible depth, purity and raciness. It’s the first wine to sell out at Thorle and this why we are on the 2022 which is as good as the 21 if not better. This wine is absurdly brilliant.
It is an exhilarating bottle of Chardonnay and dare I say profound? In Burgundy you need to pay $50+ a bottle for quality like this. Maybe more. This is Chardonnay on limestone which is the same soil as Burgundy. It’s the perfect storm. Easily Village Meursault from a top producer quality here.
Smells like Meursault. Brilliant stuff. Nose is spicy and buttery. Tremendous depth. Beeswax, butter, some malolactic rich aromas, salty, mineral and ocean breeze. Gorgeous and stunning aromas that are so precise and so noble. Really complex. A wine that you can sit with. The aromas develop and develop aid it becomes an insane perfume. Perhaps one of the best aromatic Chardonnays at this price point in ages. It’s just a maelstrom of aromas after 30+ minutes. And on Day 2 it got even better. Buttery, rich and hedonistic nose but also with dynamic minerality. Stunningly decadent but also allied with German precision. Spice and baked apple as well.
Palate is incredible. Energy for days. So delicate, elegant and refined. Insane purity. Wow this is just an incredible wine. Glides across the palate. Silken texture. Terrific energy and balance. So complex. Ethereal and long. Stunning. A no brainer 9.6. Perfect concentration and balance. Immaculate. This may be a 9.7. So clean. After air the palate is ripe and rich with a succulent texture and such stunning purity. Big green apple fruit and pears. Terrific freshness and sweet fruit and the oak is like a 5% accent on the palate that works so well. So well made. Oak is perfectly integrated. The palate has amazing density and purity. Coats your whole mouth with internal aromatics. It’s ultra refined stuff. Terrific energy and lingering length. ON day 2, palate is incisive and racy as well with serious freshness and purity. Clean and so so elegant. Lovely sap and flavor intensity on the finish. Just an immaculately made wine that also threads that needle between geek and normie so so well. What a sick value. Below is the 94 Point Pigott score.
“You could easily mistake this for a top Chablis from a cooler vintage thanks to the combination of complex chalky minerality, lemony acidity and tarragon freshness. Although it is underplayed, the power builds steadily at the long expressive finish. Very good aging potential.” 94 points, Stuart Pigott (2021)
I’ve also got today another new revelatory white from Thorle called the 2022 Thorle Kalk/Kried Premier Cru Trocken for $26.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. and $24.99 on a case. This is an absolutely electric and eclectic blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc and this wine blew my mind for its deliciousness and energy. This is an important part of Thorle’s Chardonnay program.
Remember our $24.99 wines are $33+ via 3-tiers!
Lovely nose. Nose is green apple and a hint of butter. Very wet earth and mineral. Reeks of limestone and terroir. Confection, light wood, lemon, wood shavings, elegant, laserlike focus and precision. Nose is so clean. Mineral and complex. It is also super crisp and clean almost like a Chablis crossed with Cote de Beaune and German engineering thrown in. Nose is so so clean. Mineral and complex. Nose becomes confectionary with air
The palate is juicy and pure. Textured, rich and concentrated but also nimble and pure. Really focused like a laser. Juicy and lean. Very angled wine. Needs to open. But a stunner. Palate gets a little plump but still linear and fresh. Lovely stuff. Really dig this. So sappy and electric. Creamy but also electric. Lovely. Sweet wood complements. I could truly drink a lot of this. Energetic and long, A unique wine. So good. Sappy and energetic and wonderful purity. Fantastic.
“Just imagine that nobody had every produced a wine that tasted like Premier Cru white Burgundy and suddenly somebody in (comparatively speaking) in the middle of nowhere did it! What a stunning interplay of cooked quince fruit and delicate smoky oak this has! Impressive structure, but only 12.5% alcohol which helps keep the finish on the bright side. The second vintage of this wine. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drink or hold..” – 94 Points, Stuart Pigott
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 after emailing with your order if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
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