Chardonnay

It has been difficult but I finally managed to keep my hands off a bottle to let it get ten years of age.  The result?  It was fantastic but not necessarily better than it was at age 5, just different.  Golden in color, a bit deeper, clear and bright.  The nose is big and fresh with lemon curd, vanilla, minerality and spice.  Full bodied.  Great balance.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is deep and complex.  Flavors of vanilla lemon cream with some spice and minerals.  Delicious.  Contemplative.  What a great Chardonnay.  Great on its own but  probably better with food.  This would be e

Another great Chardonnay from Rivers Marie.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with lemon, vanilla, oak spice, and slight minerality.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  Great balance and acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Vanilla, lemon cream, slight grapefruit, spice and slight char.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is very young and will improve its score by a couple points with ageing but it is still very enjoyable right now.  Great on its own, it would work well with Salmon grilled on a Cedar Plank.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.

Medium golden in color, clear and bright.  Nice nose with lemon cream, slight pineapple, vanilla and some minerality.  Full bodied.  Bigger texture.  Good balance.  On the palate, this has a bit of oak showing but is quite tasty.  Flavors of lemons, pineapple, vanilla, spice and char.  Long finish.  Another year or two should help this come together.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.  Very nice on its own, this would work well with many foods.  A nice choice for Lobster but also a stir fried Tofu and vegetables dish.  

My first time trying this Chardonnay made by  Michael Browne (formerly of  Kosta Browne).  I liked the wine but this is not the style of Chardonnay I look for.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is big  with marzipan, red apples, char, oak, vanilla and alcohol.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is a bit nutty with apples, char, oak and alcohol.  Long finish.  The oak, char and alcohol were somewhat difficult for my palate and these did calm down a bit on day 2.  Good acidity.  These may yet develop and turn out more to my liking with a few years rest.  Right now, these will be a

The Nightwing Chardonnay, which I have reviewed favorably for several vintages, again nails something unusual – a Chardonnay that encompasses all the best of Chardonnay from everywhere – great acidity, expressive fruit, tactile mouth feel, pure pleasure, and lastly, a great food companion. You’ll notice lemon meringue, apricot, white peach, Asian pear, blood orange, a whisper of butterscotch and resin, and lime kefir. Keeping the fruit lively the wine was barrel fermented, aged on the lees for 10 months and only used 23% new French oak.

Davis Bynum has a long history in Sonoma, dating back to the early 1970s and has long promoted Sonoma wine before Sonoma was known for its dynamic wines it is today. This 2022 uses six different Chardonnay clones from various blocks on their property to craft a classic Sonoma Chardonnay. You’ll find lemon curd, light resin, apricot, honeysuckle and white peach where the acidity supports the fruit.

The Santa Cruz Mountains are the home to many of my favorite Chardonnays and this is definitely one of them.  Light gold in color with some hay yellow swirls, clear and bright.  The nose is big but lovely with lemon peel, slight lime, slight apples, vanilla, spice and char.  Full bodied.  Creamy texture countered with crisp acidity.  On the palate, this is crisp, satisfying and delicious.  Deep and complex, it unwinds with a bit of air in the glass.  Flavors of lemon peel, slight vanilla, spice and char.  Long finish.  This is great on its own but better with food.  This would work so well

This continues to be my favorite Chardonnay!  It drinks great young and ages nicely.  With just a kiss of vanilla showing, there is some oak but not enough to be an issue even for many of the most oak adverse drinkers.  Light green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with lemon creme, a touch of vanilla, spice and slight char.  Full bodied.  Very light tannins.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Great texture.  Flavors of lemons, slight cooked apples, vanilla and spice.  A bit of char on the long finish.  This drinks great on its own and will work well with

Silvery/gold in color, slightly cloudy but still bright.  The nose is nice with lemon cream and slight vanilla notes and just a hint of char.  Enough acidity to carry the structure.  On the palate, lemons, slight lemon cream with spice/oak.  Good finish.  This could use some more cellaring although it is drinking well now.  Hold for a few years and patience will be rewarded (and the score will rise a couple of points).  It is not overblown but a Chard for those who like a bit more round edges.  It is lovely on its own and would work well with many foods including most seafoods.  It would be

Founded in 1987, Argyle wanted to make sparkling wines that could hold their own with Champagne. Comprised of mainly Pinot Noir, there is 4% Chardonnay blended in with this 2019. What at first seems a mild sparkler, with notes of brioche bread, soft lemon and mild apricot, reveals a different side. The stone fruits and minerality come out mid palate and finish strong. Acidity is the real story here revealed with this wine, making this ideal with a variety of foods.