2014 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

Rhys Chard's are among my favorite Chardonnay's anywhere. They often get tagged as "Burgundian" but I think they are a beautiful expression of the grape as grown in Santa Cruz. This one was pop and pour and it was singing. Gold/silver in color with slight green. The nose is great with a lemon-vanilla cream along with a nice mineral base. On the palate, this is vibrant with great acidity. Great bright fruit. Lemon with some vanilla and a nice minerality. Long finish. Great with a potato chowder. Just a beautiful wine. I think these age well but perhaps shut down at some point only to reawaken. I haven't had many older ones because I keep drinking mine in their youth.

Grade:

Score:

Vintage:

2014

Top Ten California Chardonnays - 2016

I tend to taste and drink a lot of wine over the course of a year. I am in a few tasting groups, sometimes the wines are consumed at various local wine store tastings and a number drunk with friends and family.

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2012 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

Vintage:

2012

Score:

Grade:

A+

Current Price:

$110.00USD

Rhys is one of my favorite wines and this particular bottle was opened at a dinner alongside an Aubert and a Marcassin from the same vintage. It was interesting for a few reasons. It really demonstrated the "Burgundyness" of the Rhys wines. It also showed that Rhys can hold its own against the best Chardonnays California produces. It has a silvery green/gold color. The nose has nice lemon cream and vanilla with underlying minerality. Great mouthfeel and texture. On the palate, the lemon cream with a touch of vanilla comes thru. With air some green apple notes emerge. Great balance.

2017 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

Vintage:

2017

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$100.00USD

Another example of why Rhys is one of my favorite Chardonnay's from anywhere. Light golden in color with slight green hues. Clear and bright. The nose is gorgeous with lemon curd, minerality, and vanilla. Full bodied. Solid acidity. On the palate those flavors carry thru. Lemon curd and vanilla with great minerality. Just delicious. The bottle is drained quickly. Long finish. These drink so beautifully young, they do shut down a bit after a few years and then re-open at around age 7 to 10 for another decade. Great on their own, these work great with crisp or lighter foods.

Best Napa Chardonnay (For the Money)

IntoWine.com asked a panel of wine experts for their recommendation for the best Napa Chardonnay (for the money): California Chardonnay has entered a new golden era, and there are terrific, cooler climate examples available from all over the State. These great new Chards tend to be balanced, with minerality and strong acidity, as well as less obtrusive new oak than was the trademark of California Chardonnay even five years ago. Napa does not have a particularly cool climate, so the wines from this region tend to have more ripe, tropical fruit characteristics, and more richness, as well as more of a creamy mouth feel, thanks in large part to the new oak typically used for fermentation and aging. Nonetheless, for those who like the rich, tropical fruit style of Chardonnay, there are some great examples from Napa that are relative values. My top pick for the money is the Arnot-Roberts Watson Ranch Napa Valley Chardonnay, with the current release going for a relatively reasonable average of $35. Here I get more lemon and lemon cream than super-ripe tropical fruit, but with solid weight and creamy texture. Also quite good but considerably pricier, at about $50, is the Hestan Vineyards Chardonnay, made by sought after Napa winemaking consultant Mark Herold. - Richard Jennings, IntoWine.com Featured Contributor and the Founder RJonWine.com

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Napa Valley Chardonnay: Foods to Pair With, and Meals that Call for, Napa Chardonnay

Chardonnay—a chameleon of a grape. There are an especially large number of choices to be made in terms of winemaking when it comes to Chardonnay. It can be still or sparkling. It can be aged in oak or un-oaked, filtered or unfiltered, subject to malolactic fermentation or not. Even the type of oak used, or the decision to keep the wine in contact with dead yeast cells during the winemaking process affects the style of the final product. These factors (not to mention the concept of terroir) result in endless Chardonnay styles that can range from Burgundy’s crisp, austere, mineral-driven wines to Australia’s tropical fruit-packed, viscous style.

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2014 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

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2012 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

2017 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

Best Napa Chardonnay (For the Money)

Napa Valley Chardonnay: Foods to Pair With, and Meals that Call for, Napa Chardonnay