Tasting Notes: Gwinllan Estates' Inaugural Wines

Established in 2009, this young winery on the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas is run entirely by the Pack family--skilled in the science of winemaking and ardent in the perfection of it. In Gwinllan Estates' first bottlings, both the skill and the devotion are evident, and we had a chance to check out their 2010 Chardonnay and their 2009 Winemakers' Selection, a hand-selected blend of Grenache and Syrah grapes. After an interview in mid-February for Markets Media Magazine, the Packs sent these two bottles over for us to sample.







Smooth beginnings: El Dorado, California's decomposing granite soil cultivates Gwinllan Winery's flavorful yields.



Subtle, aromatic, and smooth, Gwinllan Estates' 2010 Chardonnay is peachy on the nose, with quiet citrus and floral characteristics. Of a clear, light straw color, it's light and smooth, with a silky mouth-feel that allows for better enjoyment of the creamy vanilla and simple citrus notes. At the end, Gwinllan's choice of French oak casks makes all the difference: it is full-bodied, oak-tinged without being overbearing, and gives way to a clean finish. "Chardonnay is a subtle grape," co-owner Chris Pack tells us. "If you over-oak it, that's all you taste."



Robust, complex, and rich, the winery's 2009 Winemakers' Selection bears deep berry tones on the nose, with a sweet edge reminiscent of brown sugar. The color is an inky burgundy, as can be expected from the Grenache (71%) and Syrah (29%) blend, which is hand-selected by winemaker and co-owner Gordon Pack, along with son Jonathan, resident viticulturist and consulting winemaker. On the tongue, the wine itself isn't at all sweet, but is instead smooth, soft, and multilayered: blackberry and nutmeg notes dance along to a nearly caramel-like finish, slightly reminiscent of port, but stopping short of being sweet--instead, it teases you, enticing another sip. The full-bodied finish gives way to a clean, surprisingly light end. It's not a surprise that this is Gordon and Jonathan's favorite: it's elegantly sophisticated, yet unpretentious.



Gwinllan Estates is in El Dorado, California. Keep an eye open for our piece on this exemplary new winery in our March/April issue of Markets Media Magazine!