Beginner

[stevebody]

Hartford's '99 Stone Cote Vineyard Sonoma County Chard is excellent stuff, very reminiscent of the Sonoma-Cutrer "Les Perierres" (sp) at a far lower $$. It's got wonderful mineral sweetness, whiteflower shadings, fig, honeydew melon, honeysuckle, yelllow apple, Bosc pear, and JUDICIOUS USE OF OAK!!! NOT vanilla creme soda.

In general, especially in the Zins, Hartford is a whale of a winery. Their '00 and '01 Russian River Valley and Dina's Vineyard Zins are among the most satisfying and complex Zins I've tasted in the past five years, and both are fairly reasonable.