Accolades
2020 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard
Jeb Dunnuck — 94
The 2020 Chardonnay comes from the Beuna Tierra Vineyard, in the Russian River Valley, and spent 14 months in 75% new French oak. It has a beautifully perfumed nose of white peach, mulled pear, honeysuckle, and white flowers to go with a medium to full-bodied, bright, lively, yet still textured and lengthy style on the palate. It’s beautifully done and well worth seeking out. It should keep for 4-5 years, although there’s no need to delay gratification.
2019 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard
Wine Advocate — 94
With an Old Wente selection, roughly 50-year-old vines, François Frères and Taransaud oak and Thomas Rivers Brown as winemaker, is it any wonder that Shibumi Knoll’s 2019 Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard is a huge success? Pineapple and pear fruit is joined by hints of butter and toasty oak in this nicely balanced, poised effort. Medium to full-bodied, with a seductively silky texture, this is a lovely, easy-drinking Chardonnay to enjoy over the next several years.
2018 Shibumi Knoll Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
Jeb Dunnuck — 95 points
As to the reds, the 2018 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is brilliant stuff and competes with any number of more expensive single vineyard releases. Ripe black raspberries, strawberries, flowers, and dried herbs as well as a kiss of oak all emerge from this medium to full-bodied, supple, mouth-filling, utterly delicious Pinot Noir that will keep for 5-6 years.
2018 Shibumi Knoll Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Jeb Dunnuck — 94 points
Coming from a site north of St. Helena, on the east side of Highway 29, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Shibumi Knoll Vineyard has a beautiful, perfumed, elegant style in its red and blue fruits as well as notes of rose petal, chocolate, and exotic flowers. It actually reminds me slightly of Las Piedras with its floral character and is medium to full-bodied, balanced, and elegant on the palate, with terrific tannins. It’s going to evolve for 15-20 years.
2018 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard
Jeb Dunnuck — 93+ points
The 2018 Chardonnay Russian River Valley Buena Tierra Vineyard is smoking good and offers a richer, mouth-filling, medium to full-bodied style as well as notes of almond paste, stone fruits, spicy oak, and chalky minerality. Coming from a site in the Russian River Valley and fermented and aged in 35% new French oak, it’s a serious Chardonnay that should evolve for upwards of a decade. Thomas Rivers Brown is the winemaker.
2017 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard
Wine Advocate — 94 Points
The 2017 Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard conjures up provocative notions of buttered popcorn, crème brûlée and almond tar over a core of poached pears, peach cobbler and guava with a hint of crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers gorgeous tension with an opulent oiliness to the texture and loads of savory-accented stone fruit layers, finishing on a lingering spicy note.
This site was planted in 1972 to Old Wente clone selection. The vines are all head-trained and dry-grown.
2016 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard
Wine Advocate — 95 Points
The 2016 Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard has a medium-deep lemon-gold color, but don’t let the deeper color fool you into thinking the wine is prem-oxed. The nose leaps from the glass with classic scents of apricots, lemon butter, ripe grapefruit and key lime pie with hints of praline and graham crackers. The palate is instantly awakened with lovely tension and bags of citrus, stone fruit and evolving nutty flavors, finishing long with exciting mineral sparks. It is mature now but should certainly hold a good 4-5 more years.
This site was planted in 1972 to Old Wente clone selection. The vines are all head-trained and dry-grown.
2015 Shibumi Knoll Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Wine Advocate — 98 points
This comes from the estate’s 0.75-acre vineyard in St. Helena, planted and farmed by David Abreu. The wine is made by Thomas Rivers Brown. Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon bursts gregariously out of the glass like a total rock-star Cabernet with notes of baked blackcurrants, blackberry preserves and stewed plums with nuances of cigar box, Indian spices, camphor and smoked meats plus a waft of potpourri. The full-bodied palate is jam-packed with black fruit layers with loads of red berry sparks and a wonderfully plush frame, finishing with epic length and fantastic freshness. Wow! 100 cases made.
2015 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard
Wine Advocate — 94 points
This site was planted in 1972 to Old Wente clone selection. The vines are all head-trained and dry grown. The 2015 Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard gives up evolving fruit notions of preserved apricots, fresh hay, apple pie and allspice with touches of lemongrass and lime leaves. Full-bodied, the palate is packed with savory and baking spices accents with a stone fruit and baked apple core, framed by great freshness and a tantalizing oiliness to the texture, finishing long and spicy. Skillfully crafted by Thomas Rivers Brown, this is more of an old-old-school, oxidative style of Chardonnay and therefore wonderfully restrained and savory—not for those looking for a fruit bomb!
2015 Shibumi Knoll Pinot Noir Buena Tierra Vineyard
Wine Spectator — 92 points
2013 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard
Wine Spectator — 94 points
Weaves together a mix of grapefruit and lemon notes, with green apple, melon and white peach details. A juicy, complex and approachable Chardonnay, with a very long finish.
2012 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard
Wine Spectator — 96 points
A dazzling effort, with striking purity, richness and focus, featuring a plump, silky texture that oozes with fresh fruit aromas and a deep core of rich pear, fig, honeydew melon and spice notes, ending with a burst of lip-smacking butterscotch hints.
2009 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard
Wine Spectator — 96 points
Deliciously rich and unctuous, with a creamy-textured mix of tangerine, honey, nectarine, apricot and juicy peach flavors, yet for all the wine’s richness the acidity keeps the flavors dancing, ending with a nice kiss of toasty oak on long finish.
2005 Shibumi Knoll Chardonnay Buena Tierra Vineyard
Wine Spectator — 97 points
Pure and delicious, a rich, elegant, layered expression of Chardonnay. Tightly focused and smooth-textured, offering a wealth of flavor built around green apple, fig, melon, spice and a hint of lemon blossom. Ends with a long, lingering finish.
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