Pennyfarthing 2009 Chardonnay Forum

Submitted by winesmith on

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6 Bottles Pennyfarthing 2009 Chardonnay

REGULAR RETAIL $120.00

SPECIAL PRICE =  $59.94  -  50% OFF AND FREE SHIPPING!         

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2009 PennyFarthing Chardonnay tech sheet

Clark Smith says:

Unlike my WineSmith wines, which are sort of geeky, intellectual wines that explore the possibilities of California wines made in a Eurocentric style stressing depth and complexity, PennyFarthing wines celebrate what I see as a new possibility for New World wines to be purely delicious, in a straightforward style without embellishment.

The pennyfarthing bicycle is so named because a British penny is a rather large coin, and a farthing is a quarter penny, hence the analogy with an oldtime bicycle. It evokes a period when life was simpler and more joyful.

California grapes are well suited to this style - often much more rich and generous than, say, French grapes. Santa Barbara Chard in particular is wonderfully rich on its own without embellishment from malolactic or apricot marmalade, honey and brioche. Some of you may recognize a likeness to my other PF offerings such as the '07 Barbera and the Dry Rosé (it's actually a 2007 also, as Chip was polite enough to keep close). As he pointed out, these wines have considerable longevity potential simply because I don't push them very hard.

Cool-fermented in stainless steel, I did give the finish a very light kiss of toast from some beautiful French oak…chips. So shoot me.

Here is what some other Wooters have said:

ajrod27

2009 Penny Farthing Chardonnay

PNP:  Golden straw color. Initial nose of lemon curd, Granny Smith and hints of caramel.  Initial attack shows decent acidity and a slightly creamy mouthfeel. Granny Smith apples carry over to the palate with a touch of lemon zest on the tail end. The finish is clean, citrusy and mildly intense.

A couple hours in:
The nose is super rich with toffee and banana, like a bananas fosters.

We had this wine with chicken and mushroom in cream sauce, mashed cauliflower with cheese and rosemary potatoe bread. The wine cut through the fat of the food very well and paired great with the cauliflower mash. I would not have guessed this chard to be 5 years old. I think it'll hold up well for about 5 more years, maybe more. Well worth the $10/bottle!

Trifecta

2009 Winesmith Penny Farthing Chardonnay
Color is bright golden leaning towards straw. Good clarity. PnP nose is not giving a lot up, getting some apricot, a bit of green apply, and a touch of honey. Palate has a nice rounded feel and good weight, but then finishes clean and crisp. Medium length finish with some citrus going on and a bit of zingy minerality on the sides of the tongue....

...This chardonnay was quite good. All three of us really liked it. I had penciled in solid value at $15. At $10 the QPR here is awesome. There is more complexity here than is typical at the price point. No signs of this wine being over the hill. I would cellar another 3-4 years without even worrying about it.
I will need to be stocking up on this for the summer months and bbq’s to come.

 



 

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