Only available in magnum, the 2011 Chardonnay Ambassador’s 1953 Vineyard is an homage to Ambassador Zellerbach, and the fruit for this cuvee comes from the original two acres of Chardonnay first planted by him in 1953. Once known as the Old Wente clone, but propagated as the Hanzell clone (as it’s grafted on St. George rootstock), this rare Chardonnay is a treat to taste. It offers a liqueur of wet rocks intermixed with citrus oil in a stylish, restrained, but authoritative style. Intense but elegant, this beauty is unlike any other California Chardonnay, and that’s what makes it so singular as well as special. How long it will live is debatable, but even in a challenging vintage such as 2011, it has twenty or more years of life ahead of it.
Robert Parker
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