2002 Chardonnay Ritche

The chardonnays that Mark Aubert makes at Colgin Cellars for his own label are nothing short of sensational, and my early look at a 2003 pinot noir suggests that Aubert has the magic touch with this tricky grape as well. Combine these wines with the hugely rich cabernets and new syrah made by Aubert for Ann Colgin and Joe Wender, and the natives could hold out for years on this mountaintop without needing to bring in any more wine. Aubert describes his 2002s as "hedonistic wines, high in alcohol and with great concentration.Everything went perfectly during the growing season."Indeed, Aubert goes on, the green tinge to the colors of the 2002 chardonnays is from physiologically perfect skins-"skins that haven't been burned by sunlight, but also from great old clones."The wines did not finish fermenting their sugars until March, and batonnage gave them even more fat. Aubert recommends the Quarry bottling for the shorter term, noting that the Ritchie Vineyard chardonnay possesses stronger acidity for cellaring.