Our 2017 Chardonnay bears the unmistakable aromatic and textural signature of the Riverview Vineyard. As with our 2016, this is a lavish wine that reflects the character and complexity of this windy, cool-climate property. The nose includes citrus, green apple, pear, vanilla, butterscotch and fresh-baked brioche. The palate is lush, round and concentrated. The wine’s natural opulence is deftly balanced by firm, well-integrated acids.
Winemaking Notes
The grapes were hand-picked in the cool early morning hours to ensure freshness. A portion of the fruit was hand lugged, gently pressed, settled and then transferred to new French oak barrels stored in a refrigerated container at the Riverview Vineyard. This guaranteed that the fermentation was initiated by wild yeast indigenous to the site. Following a long, cool barrel fermentation, the wine was kept on its lees and aged in 100% French oak barrels (92% new) for 14 months. Regular stirring of the lees enhanced the aromatics and texture. The final blend was a selection of our top barrels.
Vineyard Notes
Our estate Riverview Vineyard is a 340-acre, cold-climate (Region 1), sustainably farmed, benchland property that overlooks the Salinas River. It is situated on the east side of the Salinas Valley just below the Pinnacles National Park. This property features granitic soils, great exposure and little protection from the strong winds that scrub the valley every afternoon. It is planted to an assortment of varieties, clones and rootstocks specifically matched to the various micro-climates, soils and aspects of the terrain. The namesake Metz Road runs alongside the property.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Appellation: Riverview Vineyard, Monterey, California
Clone: Clone 4, Dijon 96 and 78
Harvest Date: Hand-harvested Sept 11-29, 2017
Aging: 14 months in 100% French oak (92% new)
Alcohol: 14.5%
pH: 3.54
Total Acidity: 6.6 g/L
Included in the Box
4-bottles:
4x 2017 Metz Road Chardonnay, Monterey, California
Case:
12x 2017 Metz Road Chardonnay, Monterey, California
Price Comparison
$359.88 for a Case/$29.99 MSRP/Not sold on website
About The Winery
Winery: Metz Road
Owners: Scheid Family Wines
Location: Monterey, California
Our philosophy behind Metz Road is simple: craft a single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that exemplify the best of Monterey.
Metz Road was created out of our desire to express the unique terroir of a single vineyard site. Each vintage, we select the top vineyard block to craft a wine that is true to the varietal and perfectly embodies the site-specific characteristics, the soul, of the vineyard.
With 11 estate vineyards, we are blessed with an amazing selection of acres to work with from vintage to vintage. In fact, we use less than 1% of the grapes we grow for our Metz Road wines. The vines are farmed for ultra-premium quality and the grapes are hand-picked at optimum ripeness in the early morning. In the winery, the grapes are hand-sorted, the juice is fermented in small lots and the wine is aged in 100% French oak barrels. Our mantra is gentle handling and minimal intervention, allowing the distinctive terroir of a single vineyard site to shine.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Metz Road Chardonnay - $40 = 26.66%
@DebRVA I’m trying to save money, so that’s good, this time. But always worrisome when you don’t see your state on the list, because you start wondering, “oh no, has my state changed its laws again, and I’m on the way to being de-casemated?”
That happened to us Virginians in the days of Woot. We were on almost all offers for a few years, then our legislature woot-hosed us with some law tweak about “agricultural co-ops”.
@DebRVA@PatrickKarcher A lot of the time it turns out the winery’s license expired and they didn’t renew it in time, or made a business decision not to renew.
Lab Rat here…This 2017 Metz Road Chardonnay is an excellent surprise. It starts with an light oaky smell and pale yellow color. The first sip confirms the oaky smell with a bold flavor that grabs your tongue all over with a nice dry finish. I would almost venture to say this wine has a masculine taste. It was sharp and consistent in flavor, dry and woody. I couldn’t detect any fruit undertones but this paired well with fruit and a spicy cheese - it would prob pair very well with a spicy dish. The taste doesn’t fade with each sip, in fact each sip remains as pure as the first which leads to a nice finish. I chilled my bottle as I prefer my wines cold. This was a great Chardonnay and I recommend it as a must buy for Chardonnay lovers - this wine did not disappoint.
88 Points Very clean and subdued on the nose, this bottling offers hints of pear flesh, peach blossom and damp chalk aromas. The palate packs together lemon rinds with apple flesh, making for a very familiar and pleasant experience. MK 8/1/19
Ken’s Wine Guide:
Cases produced: 1,079
KWG Score: 90.5 (based on 4 reviews)
Ken’s Wine Rating: Very Good+ (90)
Review date: March 13, 2020
Wine Review: With a pale straw color, this Chardonnay from Monterey packs inviting aromas of burned sandalwood, musk and nutmeg. On the palate, the wine is medium in body and the flavor profile is a base of braised pear, citrus and stone fruits with touches of caramel, maple walnut scone and star anise. It is a bit of a chameleon in the mouth and each sip brings something new and enjoyable. The Chard would pair well with cold-water oysters from Maine or Prince Edward Island. - Jeoff
Sad to say, I cannot report back as a rat for this one. Bottle just arrived with cork pushing against the foil, 95f, and sticky to the touch. I have had the Metz PN in the past and it’s easy drinking stuff that we would enjoy on a casual night. It seems this has that same style for a white wine. I really hope to Rat a bottle again this coming fall/winter or early spring. Cheers
OK, I’m a little worried about what pops up at midnight, haha. Mine have been arriving with many punchouts in the styrofoam right above the bottles. Interesting, I have yet to find the punched out piece in the box. But its never over all of the bottles.
/giphy quixote-pancha-geuneviere
@smtcapecod and mine have been arriving with all the bottoms punched out! That means they’re being dropped pretty hard. Have already had to claim one broken bottle in June. UPS is hard on our packages
Never happened with Fed-X, just sayn’
@smtcapecod@ttboy23@Winedavid49 - I’ll chime in - same issue with me too; on every delivery at least 1 top punched out on the cases. Also some external damage as well, but the Styrofoam took the hit. I’m worried whats going to happen when summer shipping is over??
PS: My last 2 shipments have been delivered by “Temp trainees in their personal cars.” Also: I agree about Fed-X & nicer delivery people!!
@PLSemenza@smtcapecod@ttboy23@Winedavid49 I’m sad to echo much of this, including the damaged boxes, punched styrofoam, and even personal car deliveries. Thankfully no broken bottles, but there was that one case that they reported as damaged in transit back around the holidays that I wouldn’t be surprised to learn became part of a party (that wasn’t mine).
On two occasions my Friday delivery was loaded in a truck, roamed all over the place before being updated to “next business day delivery” (reflected as Monday by the app and website) and eventually making it back to the depot where it was unloaded from the Turdmobile after 12+ hours of schlepping and agitation. Thankfully on both of those instances the wine was actually delivered Saturday. I guess this part is a result of their suspended delivery guarantee?
Last delivery received included a bottle that had leaked on the packing and box.
This morning, the UPS subcontractor/gigg driver sped by at about my residence at about 40mph (without stopping obviously) and I watched the real time tracking as my THREE orders covered dozens and dozens of extra miles and likely hours of transit in the 100+ heat. Contacting customer service was futile, it used to be that persistence might get one to the delivery depot and thereby in touch with the driver, but not anymore. And I won’t be home tomorrow for the required signature. At least it’s not Friday yet, I guess.
So, what would the upcharge be for some kind of insurance?? Can WCC enter a complaint for missing the two day delivery window??
Of course, based on past experience I know what they’ll do today- we are due to get thunderstorms around 5 pm tonight, so they’ll claim that the missed delivery at 11:00 am this morning was a weather exception to bolster their stats.
Frustrating for ALCON.
My case showed up intact yesterday, but they tried to deliver to the house 4 doors down and across the street. When I got it inside, the bottles felt a tiny bit damp near the foil, but not sticky. Condensation? UPS constantly delivers my packages to the same neighbor. I have 4" tall numbers on the mailbox post, as do my neighbors. Numerically, their address is not even close to mine. FedEx always pulled right up in the drive and never tried to give my wine away!
2017 Metz Road Chardonnay, Monterey, California
Tasting Notes
Winemaking Notes
Vineyard Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
Price Comparison
$359.88 for a Case/$29.99 MSRP/Not sold on website
About The Winery
Winery: Metz Road
Owners: Scheid Family Wines
Location: Monterey, California
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Thursday, August 6th - Monday, August 10th
Metz Road Chardonnay
4 bottles for $49.99 $12.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $109.99 $9.17/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Metz Road Chardonnay
Metz on a Friday?
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Metz Road Chardonnay - $40 = 26.66%
No Virginia.
@DebRVA near the MD boarder?
@DebRVA I’m trying to save money, so that’s good, this time. But always worrisome when you don’t see your state on the list, because you start wondering, “oh no, has my state changed its laws again, and I’m on the way to being de-casemated?”
That happened to us Virginians in the days of Woot. We were on almost all offers for a few years, then our legislature woot-hosed us with some law tweak about “agricultural co-ops”.
@jml326 No, Richmond. There are some wines I would drive a ways to pick up, but this isn’t one of them. Sounds like a nice chard, though.
@PatrickKarcher I remember all too well! I noticed another offer didn’t have VA, either - wonder if our laws changed on July 1?
@DebRVA @PatrickKarcher A lot of the time it turns out the winery’s license expired and they didn’t renew it in time, or made a business decision not to renew.
@DebRVA I have a due trip to The Answer in Richmond but probably not for a while or I would have winelegged for you
@InFrom @PatrickKarcher
@bunnymasseuse @InFrom @PatrickKarcher Too bad - that would have been great!
Lab Rat here…This 2017 Metz Road Chardonnay is an excellent surprise. It starts with an light oaky smell and pale yellow color. The first sip confirms the oaky smell with a bold flavor that grabs your tongue all over with a nice dry finish. I would almost venture to say this wine has a masculine taste. It was sharp and consistent in flavor, dry and woody. I couldn’t detect any fruit undertones but this paired well with fruit and a spicy cheese - it would prob pair very well with a spicy dish. The taste doesn’t fade with each sip, in fact each sip remains as pure as the first which leads to a nice finish. I chilled my bottle as I prefer my wines cold. This was a great Chardonnay and I recommend it as a must buy for Chardonnay lovers - this wine did not disappoint.
@amehzinggrace thank you for the report. interesting how it paired with spicy cheese.
And from Wine Enthusiast:
88 Points Very clean and subdued on the nose, this bottling offers hints of pear flesh, peach blossom and damp chalk aromas. The palate packs together lemon rinds with apple flesh, making for a very familiar and pleasant experience. MK 8/1/19
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/metz-road-2017-riverview-vineyard-chardonnay-monterey/
Ken’s Wine Guide:
Cases produced: 1,079
KWG Score: 90.5 (based on 4 reviews)
Ken’s Wine Rating: Very Good+ (90)
Review date: March 13, 2020
Wine Review: With a pale straw color, this Chardonnay from Monterey packs inviting aromas of burned sandalwood, musk and nutmeg. On the palate, the wine is medium in body and the flavor profile is a base of braised pear, citrus and stone fruits with touches of caramel, maple walnut scone and star anise. It is a bit of a chameleon in the mouth and each sip brings something new and enjoyable. The Chard would pair well with cold-water oysters from Maine or Prince Edward Island. - Jeoff
https://www.kenswineguide.com/wine_review/Metz-Road-2017-Chardonnay
fwiw
Sad to say, I cannot report back as a rat for this one. Bottle just arrived with cork pushing against the foil, 95f, and sticky to the touch. I have had the Metz PN in the past and it’s easy drinking stuff that we would enjoy on a casual night. It seems this has that same style for a white wine. I really hope to Rat a bottle again this coming fall/winter or early spring. Cheers
@TechnoViking
@TechnoViking Dang, we try to outwit the weather with our overnight shipping. Will make a note to have you rat in the fall.
OK, I’m a little worried about what pops up at midnight, haha. Mine have been arriving with many punchouts in the styrofoam right above the bottles. Interesting, I have yet to find the punched out piece in the box. But its never over all of the bottles.
/giphy quixote-pancha-geuneviere
But, i like owls, its good.
@smtcapecod and mine have been arriving with all the bottoms punched out! That means they’re being dropped pretty hard. Have already had to claim one broken bottle in June. UPS is hard on our packages
Never happened with Fed-X, just sayn’
@smtcapecod @ttboy23 @Winedavid49 - I’ll chime in - same issue with me too; on every delivery at least 1 top punched out on the cases. Also some external damage as well, but the Styrofoam took the hit. I’m worried whats going to happen when summer shipping is over??
PS: My last 2 shipments have been delivered by “Temp trainees in their personal cars.”
Also: I agree about Fed-X & nicer delivery people!!
@PLSemenza @smtcapecod @ttboy23 @Winedavid49 I’m sad to echo much of this, including the damaged boxes, punched styrofoam, and even personal car deliveries. Thankfully no broken bottles, but there was that one case that they reported as damaged in transit back around the holidays that I wouldn’t be surprised to learn became part of a party (that wasn’t mine).
On two occasions my Friday delivery was loaded in a truck, roamed all over the place before being updated to “next business day delivery” (reflected as Monday by the app and website) and eventually making it back to the depot where it was unloaded from the Turdmobile after 12+ hours of schlepping and agitation. Thankfully on both of those instances the wine was actually delivered Saturday. I guess this part is a result of their suspended delivery guarantee?
Last delivery received included a bottle that had leaked on the packing and box.
This morning, the UPS subcontractor/gigg driver sped by at about my residence at about 40mph (without stopping obviously) and I watched the real time tracking as my THREE orders covered dozens and dozens of extra miles and likely hours of transit in the 100+ heat. Contacting customer service was futile, it used to be that persistence might get one to the delivery depot and thereby in touch with the driver, but not anymore. And I won’t be home tomorrow for the required signature. At least it’s not Friday yet, I guess.
So, what would the upcharge be for some kind of insurance?? Can WCC enter a complaint for missing the two day delivery window??
Of course, based on past experience I know what they’ll do today- we are due to get thunderstorms around 5 pm tonight, so they’ll claim that the missed delivery at 11:00 am this morning was a weather exception to bolster their stats.
Frustrating for ALCON.
My case showed up intact yesterday, but they tried to deliver to the house 4 doors down and across the street. When I got it inside, the bottles felt a tiny bit damp near the foil, but not sticky. Condensation? UPS constantly delivers my packages to the same neighbor. I have 4" tall numbers on the mailbox post, as do my neighbors. Numerically, their address is not even close to mine. FedEx always pulled right up in the drive and never tried to give my wine away!