Chardonnay

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.

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.