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Owen Bargreen

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Napa legend Tor Kenward has crafted two singular, scintillating Chardonnays from the 2019 vintage.

Napa legend Tor Kenward has crafted two singular, scintillating Chardonnays from the 2019 vintage.

TOR Chardonnay

April 23, 2021

Tor Kenward knows his Chardonnay. One of the architects of Beringer’s famed ‘Private Reserve’ Chardonnay, I had the great chance to chat about him during my Instagram Live with him a month back (https://www.instagram.com/tv/CLsZUPbld8M/). For years I have admired Tor and his accomplishments. He has been making some killer Chardonnay for years and I have adored his ‘Carneros’ bottlings. He is making some incredible single vineyard Chardonnay wines as well, sourced from the ‘Beresini’ and ‘Hyde’ Vineyards. 

Tor has crafted some of the best Chardonnays in North America here. I adored the 2019 TOR ‘Cuvee Torchiana’ Chardonnay (OB, 97) which is one of the top new world Chardonnay bottlings I have had over the past year. This is reminiscent of a top Mersault. Silky smooth throughout the drinking experience with insanely good texture, finesse and range, this beautiful wine will cellar well for at least another decade. Learn more about these beautiful wines at https://torwines.com Here are the exceptional 2019 Chardonnay releases by TOR. 


2019 TOR ‘Cuvee Torchiana’ Chardonnay- The ‘Cuvee Torchiana’ is a barrel selection wine sourced from the thirty year old Beresini Vineyard. This wine is a homage to Tor’s mother and saw sixteen months in French oak prior to bottling. Golden once in the glass, the Chardonnay shows incredible aromatic complexity from salted melon fruits to lemon zest and baking spices, alongside suggestions of bergamot that all dance in unison. The palate is seamless and beautifully textured, reminiscent of a top Mersault. Layers of buttercream and Meyer lemon zest infused French bread combine with ripe banana and pineapple on the palate, giving this quite an exotic edge. Utterly sensational in its youth, this is up there with the best California Chardonnays I have savored in the past year. Drink 2021-2035- 97


2019 TOR ‘Cuvee Susan’ Chardonnay- Tor Kenward has crafted his ‘Cuvee Susan’ from the famed ‘Hyde Vineyard’ in the Carneros AVA. This barrel select wine opens with salted Macadamia nut aromatics that mingle with ripe pear and vanilla creme brûlée tones that all meld in the glass. The palate is soft, silky and beautifully textured. Layers of ginger, ripe pineapple, bananas foster and vanilla cream flavors all marvelously combine with wonderful tension and a bright sense of minerality. Gorgeous in its youth, this will evolve well for more than a decade to come. Drink 2021-2035- 96

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