An unexpected addition to this tasting, the 2002 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard is a real head-turner. Rich and lush on the palate, the 2002 blossoms with honey, tropical fruit, hazelnuts, and crème brulèe. Layers of flavor build to a striking crescendo of aromas and flavors in this stunning beauty. Today, the 2002 Hyde is simply fabulous.

Medium yellow. Knockout nose combines lime blossom, soft citrus notes, pear and white flowers. Sweet, juicy and penetrating, with highly complex flavors of soft citrus fruits, lime peach, nectarine, flower and mint. At once solid and vibrant. Finishes with palate-staining persistence and terrific grip. A great California chardonnay.

The expressive, richly fruit, exotic 2002 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard is exuberant, flamboyant, and unmistakably from the New World. This hedonistic Chardonnay is best consumed over the next 1-3 years.

While among the most involving and deepest offerings to be found in this survey, this exceptionally well-balanced bottling finds a bit more brightness and buoyancy than most wines of its weight and range manage to muster. It is loaded with fruit and generously oaked, and it stays both rich and fairly light on its feet through to its very long, impressively layered finish. As wholly seductive as it is right now, it can only get better with age, and we look forward to positive growth for another three or four years.

One of the best Chardonnays of the vintage. The Hyde is a bit fleshier and riper in flavor; a rich, round, complex Chardonnay, with full body, complex flavors, and excellent balance. It tastes of roasted nut, vanilla, grapefruit, apple and pineapple.