Hello everyone and welcome back for another great wine review. Today I will be discussing the 2012 Hangtime Chardonnay. This wine was cellared as well as bottled and owned by the famous Michael Mondavi. So let's begin by telling you that this is certainly what is referred to as a "new world" version of the Chardonnay varietal. This terminology is due to it's lack of dominate crispness and acidity and its fruit forward notes of tropical fruits. Certainly there a hint, perhaps actually a bit more than a hint of a crispness or acidity which appears on the back end of this wine but for the most part and fairly dominantly there is an overwhelming mouth and Palette of fruit forwardness present. This fruit forwardness of course isn't a problem for those of you who desire that new world freshness in their Chardonnay. A buttery note in the wine was placed nicely and compliments the moderately sweeter notes. Neither note was over the top and the notes finished nicely and evenly across the Palette. As a side note, I actually drank this wine room temperature as I do all my wines and I think that really brought this wines notes out rather nicely. I think if this wine was chilled it would cut the fruit on the front Palette slightly as coldness has a way of doing. This could either be something that is perceived as nice at times and at other times not so nice, it all depends on what you expect from 
your Chardonnay. This can wine came be drank when at room temperature and at the same time I can envision this wine being drank slightly chilled while sitting on a nice cushioned chair outside while wearing your favorite ski jacket and watching the stars. WOW, what an imagination huh:). Back to the acidity or crispness for a little bit. This wine can please both the old as well as the new world Chardonnay drinkers if the crispness or acidity was integrated better. Since the sweeter fruit notes of forwardness are stronger perhaps the acidity would have been better up front to fit that bill. There is also the slight note of Grapefruit that is almost hidden. A super nice Pear is also up front as well. There is no flatness on the Palette or a time where the fruit notes falls off and leave dead space on the Palette either. This white finishes strong and in my book has the perfect name (Hangtime) given to it. These were Chardonnay grapes given more "hangtime" to develop a higher Brix or sugar level in the grapes. Before moving on let me say that when I use the term "fruit forward" I do not mean simply a sugar note. What I mean is that due to the true notes being fruit, there is sugar that naturally comes along with that fruit. Some would say that the fruit forwardness or sugar note might be a bad thing but in a wine that is fruit forward like this is simply natural and to be expected. This is a moderately soft and pleasant wine that can really scream either Summer or Winter in my book. Here s wine that has the ability to go along with your mind set at the time. Adding to these notes is a slight bit of a Limestone type edge that contributes to the slight acidity and crispness. Summing this wine up now I feel that I have to split the ratings that I give it on The Desert Wine Guy Rating Scale. Let's begin with the first part of the two part split. 
The first split is for the new world Chardonnay lovers. Looking at the notes that I feel this wine presents you have to already know that the wine is a must buy for you. To explain a little further I'll repeat the following. Kiwi, Mango, buttery. These are just to name a few. The word "Hangtime" should also mean something to you due to the extra time for the Brix level to rise. On a scale of 1-10 in reference to the fruit forwardness level I would place this wine at 6 3/4. On The Desert Wine Guy Rating Scale I would place this wine at 92 points for the new world Chardonnay lover. Now, onto the lovers of "Old World" Chardonnay.
For you lovers of the old world Chardonnay here is the second part. This wine will not fare nearly as well for you. You guys also can read the notes that I detected in this wine and realize that this wine is not for you. They are not notes that you guys would find appropriate in this varietal. For you folks I place this wine at an 85 (Drinkable, ordinary, non-distinctive, does not hold to varietal standards) on The Desert Wine Guy Rating Scale.
Having said all this you now have my feelings on this wine. This is a double edged sword and one that is targeted towards a specific audience. For that audience it fits the bill perfectly. For the non targeted audience, you can do much better.
The Desert Wine Guy
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