Checkmate 2019 Attack Chardonnay 750ml

The 2019 Attack Chardonnay was aged for 16 months in new French foudres (rather than barriques) and comes in at 13.8% alcohol. This is a roughly equal blend of three vineyards or plots (Border Vista; and from Jagged Rock vineyard, the Dekleva Selection plot and Dijon Clone 76 plot). Beautifully constructed, this combines freshness with reasonable depth and a long finish. The freshness nicely lifts the fruit on the finish, making this seem like the antithesis of a fat, warm-climate Chard. The foudres keep the wood impact relatively modest, and there are even moments of purity. There's a whiff of wood on the nose but not that much on the palate. There's just enough concentration to balance it all. This is in fact impeccably well balanced, perfect for a food pairing, great to drink on its own and easily controlling the wood. As with a lot of the Chards in this report, this has a certain understatement to it that I very much appreciated. I'm not sure this is the best of the group in this vintage (probably not), but it was a sentimental favorite. 

Score: 93 points -- Mark Squires, The Wine Advocate, 2021