Chardonnay

As prices for white Burgundy in general and Chablis in particular continue to rise, it is nice to find still affordable producers making great wine.  This is one such producer.  the wine is made in a concrete egg and sees no oak.  Light golden in color with some green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with crushed shells, slight chalk/minerality and lemon.  Medium bodied.  Lean and racy texture.  Good acidity.  On the palate, lemons and crushed shells.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue to drink well for another ten to twelve years.  Nice on its own, this w

Chalk Hill celebrated 50 years in 2022. One way to celebrate is with this 2020 Chardonnay. Comprised of nine different Chardonnay clones, the result is a creamy, smooth wine with a wonderful viscosity that fills the palate with notes of crème brûlée, honeysuckle, poached pair, red delicious apple, vanilla, light resin, and lime meringue. Though aged in oak for a scant 10 months only 35% of that oak was new, so that you still have a moderate classic oaky butter quality, but not over the top. This is a very enticing Chardonnay. ORIGIN: Russian River Valley. ALCOHOL: 15%

Another excellent world class Chardonnay from this New Zealand producer. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is very nice with lemons, slight peach and slight tropical fruit. Medium bodied. Crisp. On the palate, this is young but plenty of depth. Lemon and peaches with some minerality. Long finish. This is drinking well now but should improve a bit. Drink over the next ten to fifteen years. Great on its own, this will work well with lobster.

This is not your typical Santenay.  For one thing, it is white.  For another, this is one of the best.  100% Chardonnay.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  Vibrant nose of peach, apple and slight tropical fruit.  Medium bodied.  Slightly viscous.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Deep and complex with peach, apple, minerality and slight salinity.  Long finish.  This is drinking well and should for the next five to eight years (and maybe more).  Better with food, this will go well with chicken or tuna salad.  

Gold/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose has chalk, salinity and green apples.  Medium bodied.  Moderate acidity.  No sharp edges.  On the palate, red apples with slight chalk.  Easy drinking.  Moderate finish.  Drinking well now and should for another five to eight years.  This would work well with shell fish.  

Ladera launched in 1998 and has consistently produced impressive wines. For their 2020 Chardonnay, they aged the grapes sur lie in new French oak barrels for 15 months (58% of which were new), which means this definitely offers a creamier style, however it is well balanced so you get a classic Chardonnay, but a silky smooth one. This offers light pear, lemon chiffon, lime meringue, candied almond, slight resin, and hints of guava. This is a lovely, tactile wine that drinks beautifully with, or without food. 289 cases. ORIGIN: Russian River Valley.  ALCOHOL: 14.1%

This wine is in a beautiful place right now.  Medium gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has grapefruit, slight orange peel, with a slight touch or caramel.  Full bodied.  Complex.  On the palate, quince with slight grapefruit.  Good acidity.  Long finish. This is great on its own and would be excellent with shellfish.  Though it will last long, drink in the next few years to catch at peak.  

This is apparently a joint venture between Nigl and the Ta Os Skybar in Schorndorf, Germany.  It is a style of Chardonnay that I am not a fan of.  You may like it more.  Yellow gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemon pith and a woody quality.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this seems bitter with more lemon rind.  Wine is subjective, you may enjoy this more than I.  

Though Banshee is probably better known for their still wines, they also produce a non vintage sparkler. Comprised of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier this delightful sparkling wine offers light notes of lemon lime, citrus zest, Asian pear, white peach, red delicious apple, and honeysuckle. It has a solid acidity and mild carbonation to make this fun and interesting. It was aged on the less for 24 months, and consistent to Banshee’s original mission statement, this wine definitely over delivers for the price.

Landmark has consistently produced this affordable, classic California Chardonnay, and 2020 repeats history. A terrific balance of all the essentials for Chardonnay, good fruit sourced from well-established vineyards, malolactic fermentation, oak aging, natural yeast, all judiciously applied. This offers lemon, lime, white peach, Asian pear, guava, light mango, resin, a wisp of butterscotch while still providing a solid acidity. There is also a nice creaminess - a viscosity that makes this ideal with a variety of foods.