Chardonnay

Santa Cruz is perhaps my favorite area for Chardonnay anywhere.  It has sunshine but the wines remain crisp and not blowsy and have depth.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemons, slight vanilla, and great minerality.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  Great energy and balance.  On the palate, lemons, lemon curd, minerals and char.  Crisp acidity.  Long finish.  This is delicious on its own but will work for many foods.  A nice choice with Tuna Steaks off the grill.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years. 

Once again proving that these Chardonnay's age very nicely.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemon creme, vanilla, and spice.  Full bodied.  Crisp acidity.  Great balance.  On the palate, this is deep and complex and delicious.  Flavors of lemon creme, vanilla and minerality.  Long finish.  Delicious on its own and worked well with vegetarian Mideastern food.  This may be at peak but if so, just, as there wasn't any old age showing.  Still at age 16, its good to check in on it.  

This is 100% Chardonnay from 80% Meursault, 10% Volnay, and 10% Pommard sites.  It was surprising how big and rich this wine is.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has grapefruit, lemon creme and some peach notes.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  Some acidity.  On the palate, lemon cream, vanilla, spice and slight minerality.  Good finish.  It drinks well on its own and would work well with Salmon in a rich cream sauce.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This is an inexpensive Sonoma Chardonnay that offers up a pretty classic version of an oaked Chardonnay.  Gold/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose has vanilla, lemon creme, slight pineapple, and toast.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, lemon-lime notes, vanilla and some fresh cut lumber.  Slightly bitter on the finish.  The is nice on its own and would work well with grilled Salmon or Tuna.  drink over the next few years.  

If you like crisp Chardonnay, this is a bottle to try.  And, its affordable!  Pale, silvery gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has grapefruit with some minerality and slight salinity.  Medium bodied.  Oily texture.  Excellent acidity.  On the palate, grapefruit  with crispness.  Long finish.  OK, this might not be life changing, but for $30, this is one of the better Chardonnay's I have had in awhile.  Nice on its own, and very food friendly. Well worth trying to see if you like this style.  

Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with citrus (tangerine and slight lemon), a hint of buttery oak and spice.  Full bodied.  Crisp.  On the palate, slight lemon, slight vanilla and a bit of peach on the finish.  This is refreshing but also qquite tasty.  It went well with an argual flat bread.  Drink over the next five years.