Chardonnay

This is a club member only wine from Orin Swift that is 100% Chardonnay.  It is a big wine, as expected, but at age 8, it is drinking very well.  Medium golden in color.  The nose has tropical fruit, baking spices and slight melon.  On the palate, this is full bodied with a slightly oily texture.  Lots of melon fruit with some oak.  Some warmth on the finish.  It does have enough acidity to carry the fruit.  This is drinking well now and should easily go another five years.  It will work with bigger food, and even a steak if you like or drink it on its own.  

What a superb Chardonnay.  This is still a bit on the younger side, but drinking very well.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is clean and delightful.  Minerals with lemons and just a hint of Meyer lemon and an herbal note.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this is crisp with excellent acidity.  Minerals galore.  Layers of complexity unwind in the glass.  A bit of lemon pith especially on the finish.  This is great now on its own and will work with all sorts of food.  Baked seafood would be a great choice.  It should continue to improve for the next seven to ten years and be

One of my favorite Chardonnays from one of my favorite regions for producing Chardonnay.  This is fantastic.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with a stony minerality, vanilla cream, chalk and sea air.  On the palate, this is medium body but concentrated and powerful.  A nice streak of acidity balances the lemon-vanilla cream notes with an underlying minerality.  Long finish.  This is still very young of course and should continue to gain complexity.  It needs five more years until peak and should be great drinking for ten to fifteen after that.  This seems like i

Interesting Trivia bit - The original owners of Lanmark were descendants of John Deere of Tractor fame.  Overlook was the name of John Deere's home in Illinois.  The wine is sourced from various locations around Sonoma County.  This is an outstanding value in Chardonnay.  They produce quite a bit of it yet manage to be very consistent from vintage to vintage and bottle to bottle.  It barrel fermented and spends 25% in new French oak.  The lees are stirred every two weeks as it goes thru full malolactic fermentation.  It is green/gold in color.  The nose is very nice with vanilla and peaches

I have had a fair amount of wine from this producer over the years with various results for my tastes.  Sometimes, the wines carry too much oak and others they are amazing.  No doubt, some of the difference is due to the fruit and some the vintage.  And tastes vary.  This one straddles the line for me and goes right up to the edge but doesn't cross that line.  For those who have issues with obvious oak this might cross that line.  Medium golden in color.  The nose has vanilla, lemon, fresh cut lumber and spice.  On the palate, the vanilla and lumber come thru along with a delightful sour le

This is a new winery for me to try.  Golden in color.  The nose shows vanilla with peaches.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  Some peach and grapefruit.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  Overall, a very pleasant Chardonnay.  It drinks well on its own now and will work with lighter fare.  Drink this over the next five to seven years.  

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

Copper/golden in color.  The nose shows a fair amount of grapefruit but also some spice/oak.  On the palate, this has a very nice texture.  Notes of lemon peel and slight peach.  Good finish.  Tasted blind, it was easy to guess Napa Chardonnay.  This is drinking well now and should be for the next five to seven years.  Nice on its own or with some cheeses it may over power lighter foods but will work with heavier fish dishes or pasta with a cream sauce.  

A classic Napa Chardonnay.  This drank a lot better for my tastes on night 2.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with vanilla and lemons.  On the palate, this is drinking young but nice.  It seems like the oak has been scaled back over the least decade.  Lots of vanilla cream with some peach and some lemon.  Enough acidity to keep things lively.  Full bodied.  Goof finish.  The drinks great on its own but works great with soft cheeses.  A nice match for roasted fowl.  Drink now or over the next seven to ten years.