Chardonnay

Made in a more classic California Chardonnay style, this Migration offers traditional lemon-lime, apricot, white peach, resin and guava notes along with honeysuckle, pear and a pleasant mouth feel. There is a good balance of oak and non-oak, excellent acidity and a subversive viscosity. Aged 10 months in just 34% new French oak allows the fruit and acidity to shine through. Made of all Chardonnay, the grapes came from five different vineyard sites within the AVA, which helps to provide a more well rounded Chardonnay. ORIGIN: Sonoma Coast. ALCOHOL: 14.2%.

Goldeneye has been making wine in the Anderson Valley for 30 years. This current release is comprised of 63% Pinot Noir and 37% Chardonnay. There is a lovely softness to the carbonation and viscosity of the wine itself. Pleasant notes of fresh, baked bread, golden delicious apple, apricot jam, blood orange and a slight honeydew melon fill the palate. Unlike many sparklers, this doesn’t lean towards sour apple, nor sweet, it straddles a middle ground of pleasant, soft notes, making this a delightful sipping wine with enough acidity for food.

Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with grapefruits, slight lemon, and a hint of vanilla.  Medium bodied.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, this is lean but piercing (in a good way).  Grapefruit notes with just a bit of spice.  Long finish.  Tasty.  This drinks well on its own and would work well with lighter foods but also Salmon or Tuna steaks.  Drink over the next five years.  

A delightfully seductive Chardonnay that veers away from traditional, California Chardonnays, this offers deeper, richer notes of resin, honeysuckle, butter rum, light orange zest, apricot, and quince. It has a creaminess and lithe viscosity that rolls over the tongue. With only 33% new oak used on this you might think it would be more prevalent, but the fruit itself shines forth, the volcanic soils providing and earthiness and minerality. ORIGIN: Russian River Valley, Sonoma. ALCOHOL: 14.7%

Ordered off the list at Craig's in Hollywood, CA.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemon, lime, slight floral note and  slight  smoke.  Full bodied.  Creamy texture.  On the palate, this is dry as a bone.  Delicious.  Lemons with slight lime.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  Very food friendly.  Went great with a Veggie Burger.  Drink over the next ten years.

Cuvaison is best known for their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but in 2012 they launched a sparkling program. Comprised of mainly Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay, this brut was made in the traditional Champagne method. Using Pinot Dijon clone 115 planted in 1998, winemaker Steve Rogstad says these 25-year-old vines bring a “precocious beauty” to the wine, and I have to agree. This is a delicate wine with minimal sweetness, using the grace of the Pinot and the acidity and light salinity of the Chardonnay to make a very balanced, almost shy wine.

Founded in 1987, Argyle has always considered sparkling wine to be one of their mainstays. With a mild carbonation and light fresh flavors, not to mention a good price tag, this is an easy decision for your sparkling needs. Light notes of lemon, quince, green apple, just-baked sourdough, a touch of lime zest and tangerine peel make this a delightful wine. Comprised of 52% Chardonnay and 43% Pinot Noir, a little Pinot Meunier rounds it out. Aged in stainless steel with just 20% in neutral oak allows the bright expressive flavors to come through while allowing for a nice bit of mouth feel.

Another solid effort from Ron Rubin Winery who specializes in unoaked varietal wines (Ron's wife prefers her wine unoaked).  This is inexpensive and a great value.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with Meyer Lemons, some grapefruit and a bit of minerality.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, the Meyer Lemons come thru with a slight touch of lemon-lime.  Good finish.  This drinks easily on its own and will work well with lighter foods.  This would be nice with fried appetizers at a party or on the back deck.  Drink over the next few years.  

This is a very nice Sonoma County Chardonnay.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with lemons, green apples, slight vanilla, light toast, and slight buttery note.  Full bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, lots of yellow grapefruit notes with some vanilla.  Plenty of depth.  Long finish.  This drinks great on its own but will work well with sea food or vegetarian dishes.  Drink over the next eight to ten years.  

Small lot Chardonnay. Not many people take the time to create small batches of wine, but Cuvaison does and it opens the door into wines that are specially cared for and you can taste that. This Chardonnay is a shy, subtle Chardonnay, and even though winemaker Steve Rogstag says it’s an “iconic California style,” it’s really more a respectful nod to Burgundy. Yes, this is 100% Chardonnay, aged in both French and American oak for 18 months, with full malolactic fermentation, but the acidity and light flavors veer away from California to France.