2017 Duckhorn Vineyards Chardonnay Huichica Hills Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Carneros, Wine Review

This is very nice take on a California Chard. It is more mineral driven than I expected and doesn't show much sign of malo (butter). There is a fair amount of oak showing, but that will likely subside as it matures. Golden in color. The nose has a nice peach quality along with a bit of vanilla and slight toasty oak. On the palate, this is full bodied but enough acidity to give it a bit of crispness. Nice mouthfeel. The peach flavors come thru. Good finish. This is drinking well now, but should improve for a few years and be good for seven to ten years at least. It drinks well on its own and will work well with seafood or fowl dishes.

Grade:

Score:

Vintage:

2017

Current Price:

$58.00USD

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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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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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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Mike Grgich: The "King of Chardonnay" on the Past, Present, and Future of Napa Valley Wine

A legend in Napa Valley, Croatian born winemaker Mike Grgich has witnessed -and played a major role in- the transformation of Napa Valley from rural farm town to international wine superpower. His Chardonnays have been victorious at two of the most celebrated wine tastings in modern history. In 1976, the Chardonnay he crafted for Napa's Chateau Montelena beat the best wines France had to offer in the wine industry altering Judgment of Paris. A year later, he partnered with Austin Hills of the Hills Bros. Coffee family to launch Grgich Hills Cellar. The extraordinary winemaking continued as in 1980 Grgich Hills Chardonnay beat 221 other Chardonnays for first place in a blind tasting at The Great Chicago Showdown. The moniker "The King of Chardonnay" soon followed. I had the great fortune of chatting with Mike Grgich recently. What follows is his take on the past, present, and future of Napa Valley wine and Grgich Hills.

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2017 Shafer Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch, USA, California, Napa, Carneros, Wine Review

Vintage:

2017

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$48.00USD

Shafer is one of the stalwarts of the Napa valley and this wine seems like it has been one of the top Chards forever as well. It has always had a fair amount of oak showing and this one seemed no exception. In the past, many had way more oak, but now, this tends to show more oak than most as time have changed. Whether this is good or bad is different for every taster/drinker. Copper/gold in color. The nose has vanilla, baking spices, orange peel and slight lemon. On the palate, this has a nice oily texture. Plenty of depth. Notes of ginger with a bit or lemon peel and spice. With a

2017 Duckhorn Vineyards Chardonnay Huichica Hills Vineyard, USA, California, Napa, Carneros, Wine Review

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2017 Shafer Chardonnay Red Shoulder Ranch, USA, California, Napa, Carneros, Wine Review