Fairchild Stones Take the Cake!

Last night was a battle of the cult wines! We were fortunate enough to have Lawrence Fairchild in the club from Fairchild wines. If you are not familiar with Fairchild, shame on you! These are some of the best small production wines on the market right now.

First up was a duo of Cristal, the 2008 and new 2012 vintages. The 08 was as fantastic as I have come to expect. However, the 2012 was not as broad on the palate and showed less fruit and more minerality. Not a bad wine but not as approachable as the 2008 for sure.

Next up was a super special bottle, the 2018 Stones Chardonnay from Fairchild. This wine clocks in at around $180 per bottle and I tell you that I would happily pay an extra $100 to enjoy this wine again. The wine showed notes of hazelnut, apricot, and toasted popcorn. Coming from 45 year old vines this wine was extremely complex and had a wonderful, Burgundian mouthfeel. After 30 min in the glass I got hints of cotton candy, peach, and white flowers. What a amazing experience! Marcassin, eat your heart out…

The slew of cult Cabernets that were opened next were astonishing! The 2017 Stones #3 took the prize with opulent fruit, soft tannins, and an extremely balanced finish. Coming from the vineyards right next to Screaming Eagle the pedigree of the wine is there, but bringing the wine to fruition was truly amazing.