Chardonnay

Deep golden in color and cloudy but bright.  That is typical appearance for Aubert.  The nose is a bit different with pineapples, baked apples, lemon curd and vanilla bean.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, there is a lot going on.  The pineapple carries thru along with apples, slight vanilla, spice and some lemon curd on the long finish. This is complex and deep.  It is great/contemplative on its own but will work well with food.  It went very well with Veggie Flat Breads, but would also be great with clams.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

Probably my favorite in the excellent lineup of Rivers Marie Chardonnays and this vintage is no exception.  Light golden/silver/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is deep and strong with green apples, lemon peel, minerality with slight chalk, slight spice and vanilla.  Full bodied.  Crisp but rounded edges.  Great racy texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Flavors of green apples, lemon juice and minerals.  Long finish.  This is drinking beautifully, if young on its own but will work well with the right food.  Calamari would be a great choice.  Drink over the next ten to fif

This is their basic offering (not a single vineyard) that is supposed to be a bit more approachable in its youth.  Light golden in color with some green hues, clear and bright.  The nose has apples, slight lemon citrus, spice and salinity.  Nice texture.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is round with no hard edges.  Good minerality.  Apples with some spice.  Good finish.  It is drinking well now and should be for another seven to ten more years.  Good on its own, this would be nice with baked Trout.  

There is always a question as to how well white wines age in general and the Rhys chardonnays specifically.  This one, anyway, is ageing quite well at age 12.  Light gold/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemon curd, vanilla and minerality.  Full bodied.  Good balance.  No tannins.  On the palate, this is nearing peak but not really showing any signs of old age.  Flavors of lemon curd, some citrus, vanilla and char.  Long finish.  This is deep and complex.  Great on its own, better with food.  It would be great with sea food, but was also great with Pasta Primavera.  I would t

Rhys may be my favorite Chardonnay producer (that I still choose to afford) and Santa Cruz may be my favorite region for Chardonnay.  But, still, this is their basic offering and I had low expectations.  They were far exceeded.  What an excellent wine.  I ended up drinking two bottles over three days and that is unusual.  Light golden in color with slight silvery/green hues.  Clear and bright.  The nose is great.  Very mineral driven but also some lemon creme, vanilla and a touch of grapefruits.  Medium to full bodied.  Lots of energy.  Light tannins.  Great acidity and balance.  On the pal

One of the old guards of Oregon, this winery had gotten away from Chardonnay for a time, but in the last decade they revived it.  This is 100% Chardonnay.  Light golden in color, slight green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is classic with lemon peel, nutmeg, and slight dust.  Full bodied.  Creamy texture (stirring of the lees?).  Light tannins.  On  the palate, this has slightly crisp, tart acidity.  Flavors of Meyer lemons with nice minerality.  Long finish.  This is a very good, middle of the road, Chardonnay that drinks wonderfully on its own and will work well with the usual foods; s

This is 100% Chardonnay from Oregon.  Light yellow/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemon curd, slight melon and spice.  Full bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is reasonably crisp with lemon, slight lemon candy and spice.  Nice finish.  Overall, this is a very nice Chardonnay which drinks nicely on its own and will certainly work with seafood or vegetarian dishes.  It has enough body to work with pork or fowl as well.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This is their top Chardonnay.  Very impressive.  Light golden in color with a touch of green and a slight touch of copper.  Clear and bright.  The nose has baked apples, wild herbs, slight vanilla and a touch of grapefruit.  Lovely, full bodied, texture.  Good balance.  Crisp.  On the palate, the baked apples and vanilla come thru along with a touch of lemon curd.  This is a bigger rounder Chardonnay at least in this vintage.  Great on its own and this will work well with richer foods as well as the usual pairings.  It would be nice with a creamy mushroom pasta with alfredo sauce.  Drink ov

Adelsheim was established in Oregon in 1971.  This is their basic Chardonnay and it is excellent and a great value.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is very nice with grapefruit, slight peaches, limes and a bit of minerality.  Full bodied.  Nice acidity. Great, slightly oily texture.  On the palate, this is very clean.  Some grapefruit with slight peach.  A bit of pine on the back end.  Tasty.  This is nice on its own and will be versatile with food.  It would work well with seafood such as Crab Salad.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

This is a lovely sparkling wine from Oregon.  It is 100% Chardonnay.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  It has a full mousse with a thick head of tiny bubbles.  The nose is persistent with lemons and some lanolin notes.  With a bit of air, some apple notes emerge.  Good acidity.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, fresh lemons and slight chalky notes.  A long, slightly tart finish.  Overall, this is an excellent sparkling wine that should drink well for another decade.  It is very food friendly and will work with a wide variety of foods.  It was very nice with a French Lentil Sa