2012 Littorai Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard, USA, California, Sonoma Coast, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2012
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

Light golden with a touch of green, clear and bright.  The nose is smoky with lemons and minerals.  Clean.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, a bit leaner of a texture.  Lemony with slight grapefruits and some smoke.  A bit clipped on the finish.  Good acidity.  This is drinking well and should continue to do so for another eight to twelve years.  This will drink well on its own but better with food.  Lobster Bisque would be a nice match.  

2015 Rhys Chardonnay Alpine Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2015
Score: 
94
Grade: 
A

Golden, maybe a bit deeper in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemons, lemon drop candies, spice and slight vanilla note.  Full bodied with a slightly oily texture.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, lemons, lemon curd, with vanilla.  Long finish.  This has more depth and complexity than the 2012 consumed at alongside.  It will continue to mature for the next seven to ten years and drink well for another seven to ten after that if well stored.  Great on its own, this will work well with pork chops or roasted chicken.  

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

Vintage: 
2012
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$120.00USD

Nice to revisit this with some age on it. Yellow-gold in color with slight green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is the same; vanilla, lemon crème, and minerals.  Medium to full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, lemons, lemon curd and slight vanilla.  Long finish.  This tastes mature but very similar to how it tasted on release.  More depth, less energy.  Not sure where it goes from here but another five years and probably ten.  Great on its own, this will work well with salmon or tuna steaks.   

2020 Marquis de Pennautier Chardonnay Terroirs d'Altitude, France, Pays D'Oc, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
87
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$19.00USD

This is 100% Chardonnay from France.  The grapes are organically grown at 800 feet altitude.  Pale gold in color, bright and clear.  On the nose there is a fair amount of oak (spice, slight vanilla, and lumber) as well as slight pineapples and lemons.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is a bit chalky with apricots and slight lemons. Moderate finish.  This is drinking well on its own and will work nice with soft cheeses.  Drink over the next year or two.  

2019 Prisoner Wine Company Chardonnay, USA, California, Carneros, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$40.00USD

This is Chardonnay with some Roussanne, and Gewürztraminer added from California.  Imagine if the Prisoner Wine Company made a Chard, this is just what you would expect.  And they did and it is.  Light yellow gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has vanilla, spice, baked apples and slight caramel.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this has plenty of apples with some vanilla and spice.  This is a big and bold (as opposed to crisp and clean) style of Chardonnay and should be very popular among those who like that style (and there are many).  Expect to see this popping up a lot at parties th

2019 Sbragia Family Chardonnay Russian River Valley, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-

Light golden in color, clear and bright.  Expecting huge oak on this (a trademark of sorts for Ed Sbragia) and it wasn't over the top.  Still some oak, but not crazy.  The nose has some lemons, toast, and a bit of spice.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, slight lemon with a hint of vanilla and baking spices.  Medium finish.  There is certainly oak on this but it drinks easy and not too overblown.  It is nice on its own and would work with soft cheeses.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

2014 Rivers-Marie Chardonnay B. Thieriot Vineyard, USA, California, Sonoma Coast, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2014
Score: 
96
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$69.00USD

One of the top producers of Sonoma Chardonnays.  At age 7, this is in a nice sweet spot between youth and maturity.  Light gold in color with some green hues.  Clear and bright.  The nose has grapefruits, vanilla, and spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has a great texture.  Vibrant.  Notes of grapefruit, lemons, pears, vanilla with underlying char.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue for another ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this would work well with scallops or other shellfish.  

2019 Raeburn Chardonnay, USA, California, Sonoma, Russian River Valley, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
86
Grade: 
B
Current Price: 
$13.00USD

Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has fresh cut lumber, toast, butterscotch and a slight lemon note.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins (most likely oak driven).  On the palate, the toast and butterscotch come thru with a bit more lemon.  Lower acidity.  The finish is medium with a bit of vanilla.  This has a lot of oak on it, so factor that into your buying preferences.  It drinks better on its own than with food for that reason.  Drink over the next few years.  

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