This wine is colored yellow-gold. I found the nose to be strange, with apple, pear, and nectarine aromas up front, followed by an odd scent of vanilla and butter. It has a hint of the smell of the butter offered on popcorn at the movies. The palate gives the fruit center stage as well, with oak notes a bit more prominent. The acidity is nice and the mouthfeel is full. It's not a wine I will seek out in the future, even though I rather like buttery Chardonnay.
The 2022 Robert Mondavi Vint Private Selection California Chardonnay is made largely from Chardonnay grapes, with a touch of Muscat Canelli in the blend. Alcohol hits 13.5% abv and I got it on sale for $5 at Pavilions Market, down from $12.
This wine has a pale golden-green tint in the glass. The nose throws off some lively apple, pear and citrus notes, while bathing them in a buttery vanilla scent. Fruit is forward on the palate, and the buttery oak is pleasantly present, not overpowering. The mouthfeel is full, while the acidity is fresh. The lush flavors linger on the finish. Pair this wine with seafood or salad, or even with a chicken or pasta dish in a creamy sauce.
Director of Winemaking Cara Morrison puts her name on the labels. That's how proud she is of the juice she helps craft. I was provided with samples of these wines, and here are my thoughts.
The 2023 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay was made with 100% Chardonnay grapes. Seventy-five percent of the wine was aged eight months in oak, while the other quarter aged in a steel tank. The folks at Sonoma-Cutrer say that this wine is the number one ranking Chardonnay in the $20-plus range. Alcohol sits at 13.9% abv and the retail price is $25.
This wine has a yellow-gold color in the glass. The nose has plenty of citrus mineral aromas with a blast of apple, pear and pineapple smells. The palate is full and fruity, with enough oak spice to make one think of old time California Chardonnay. There is not enough to make one think too long about it, though. The acidity is sharp and the finish is all lemon.
As with the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, the Russian River Ranches wine is 100% Chardonnay. Three-quarters of the wine was aged in oak, while the remainder aged in the tank. The alcohol content is 13.8% abv and the retail price is $31.
This wine is straw yellow in color. Its nose gives aromas of pear and apple, with lemon coming in behind. There is a hint of oak in the bouquet. The palate brings the citrus minerality to the forefront to play with the fruit flavors. Acidity is bright, but not overpowering. The wine finishes a bit oakier than the nose would have suggested, but it is a pleasurable hit of oak spice. I paired mine with buttery potato pierogies and a carrot risotto dish, and was quite pleased.
TJ's carries wines from a variety of producers, but the 2023 Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay is reportedly made by Castoro Cellars in the Paso Robles town of Templeton. Central Coast grapes went into the private label wine, which is unoaked. Alcohol is reasonable at 13$ abv and it sells at Trader Joe's for a bit less than $7.
This wine has more of a yellow tint than I would expect from an unoaked Chardonnay. The nose is clean, though. Brilliant aromas of flowers, pears, peaches and apples come through with nary a trace of wood aging. The palate is rich and full, with fruit flavors dominating. Acidity is fresh and zippy, and nearly razor sharp. The fruit lasts on the finish and the wine is a perfect match for seafood, white sauce pasta or chicken.
I'll admit: I love the purity and minerality expressed in an unoaked or low-oaked Chardonnay. Burgundy found long ago how much was to be gained by letting the terroir do the talking. There are times, though, when you want a Chardonnay to get all hedonistic on you. For me, that's in the wintertime.
This bottle of 2021 Edna Valley Buttery Chardonnay (they put the hedonism right on the label) somehow managed to survive the holiday season, which is when I most appreciate a good, oaky, buttery Chardonnay.
The winery folks say this wine is a "bright and creamy expression of California's Central Coast," and their location in San Luis Obispo County would support that. The label, however, shows an appellation of "California," so there are likely some grapes from outside their estate included. Alcohol tips 14.3% abv and the price is listed on the website at $15. I found mine at a grocery store sale for about half that.
This wine colors up straw-gold in the glass. The nose, which I was expecting to offer aromas of a movie theater snack bar, actually shows more fruit than butter or oak. Meyer lemon and tangerine are most noticeable, along with a slightly savory salinity. On the palate, that's where the butter is. Citrus flavors mingle with the sweet oak spice. Although there is a lot of that spice, the oak treatment is handled extremely well. The acidity is fresh and invigorating, too, despite the creaminess of the wine. For pairing, think chicken in an alfredo sauce or a scampi.
I discovered Line 39 when a friend called one day, excitedly telling me that their Cabernet Sauvignon was on sale at a wine shop we both frequented. "This wine is good," he said, "and it’s a great value because it's dirt cheap!" Well, good wine dirt cheap is the very definition of a value, is it not?
I rushed to the wine shop and bought a bottle, then returned the next day to buy another. In the months that ensued, I tried a half dozen different varieties from Line 39, all of which were good values.
The 2021 Line 39 California Chardonnay is a tad more expensive than it was a decade ago, but it is just as good. Winemaker Alyssa Reynolds crafts this wine, which bears the California appellation. Alcohol rests at 13.5% abv and the wine sells in most places for $10 or less.
The pale straw-colored wine smells sweet from fruit and oak. There are notes of citrus, apple and pear on the nose, along with a distinct floral component. On the palate, fruit again leads the way. Oak spice plays an important role, although it is not overdone. Acidity is quite fresh and the finish is long and pleasant. This wine will pair very well with a buttery pasta dish or shellfish.
The celebration of new vintages come at a time when Sonoma-Cutrer is being acquired by Duckhorn for $400 million. Maybe they’re popping the cork on some sparkling wine in addition to these wines.
For the first time in its four-plus decade history, Sonoma-Cutrer features an all-female team led by their newest and first female Director of Winemaking Cara Morrison, and Senior Winemaker Zidanelia Arcidiacono. The team follows the company line of combining Burgundian tradition with Californian innovation, always making sure to respect the terroir and the people of Sonoma County.
The Sonoma-Cutrer The Cutrer Chardonnay shows a pale yellow color in the glass. The nose is heavily laced with oak spice, vanilla and butter on top of the beautiful citrus, peach and pear display. On the palate, the fruit is rich and ripe while the oak is also quite pronounced. I lean towards oakier Chardonnays over the holidays, for some reason. This one hits me just right in that respect while bringing a zingy acidity to the full mouthfeel. It is gorgeous.
For the first time in its four-plus decade history, Sonoma-Cutrer features an all-female team led by their newest and first female Director of Winemaking Cara Morrison, and Senior Winemaker Zidanelia Arcidiacono. The team follows the company line of combining Burgundian tradition with Californian innovation, always making sure to respect the terroir and the people of Sonoma County.
The 2022 Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay draws fruit from four of the winery's estate vineyards plus some from trusted local growers. All these sites benefit from the coastal fog, the afternoon breezes and the day-to-night temperature swing. The grapes were whole cluster pressed and the juice flowed into tanks, then the wine was vinified in mostly French oak barrels. That is where aging took place over eight months, in a mix of new, one-year-old and neutral wood. There was full malolactic fermentation with the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Alcohol sits at 13.9% abv and the retail price is $25.
This wine has a lovely yellow tint. The nose is full of Meyer lemon, apricot and buttery vanilla. The palate shows more fruit than oak, which is surprising given the color and aroma. Lemon, lime, golden apple and pear dominate the flavor package, with subtle oak spice and vanilla notes. The acidity is fine and the finish is long. It is a beautiful Chardonnay.
The grapes for the 2022 Krug Carneros Chardonnay were grown in the Peter Mondavi Sr. family estates and turned into liquid magic by winemaker Stacy Clark. The wine was aged on the lees (in contact with the spent yeast cells) and was fermented in about half oak, half steel. Alcohol hits 14.3% abv and the retail price is $26.
This wine has a faint yellow tint in the glass. The nose gives off lemon notes with some minerality and a hint of orange peel and salinity. The palate shows off a lovely array of citrus flavors and a racy acidity that will make food pairing easy. This is a delightful wine, and it offers a lot for the price.
The 2021 Winemakers Selection Classic Series Chardonnay is cheap, real cheap. My expectations were not high while unscrewing the cap. But, in the interest of investigative reporting, I did unscrew and poured a glass.
On both the front and back labels of the bottle there are references to the fact that the wine was "California made," which is an unusual expression to find on a wine label. California is not given as an appellation, although the state is listed on the website as the "origin" of the wine. The verbal dancing makes me wonder where the grapes were grown. Alcohol sits at 13.5% abv and the wine costs somewhere around $5.
This wine has a nice golden color. It smells fruity, with lots of citrus, pear and peach notes showing. The nose also has a significant amount of oak on it. The palate bears out the oak treatment, with a hefty dose of wood. If that is not in your wheelhouse, you might want to steer clear. If oak is your jam, then this is a great bargain for you.
Santa Barbara County is, I think, an unheralded wine region. It does not get the same sort of play that Napa Valley or Burgundy gets, but the wines from that large AVA are typically excellent. They are also nearly always a tad expensive, so it was with great curiosity that I plucked the bottle of white wine from the bottom shelf at Walmart.
One of Magistrate's winemakers, Kip Lorenzetti, calls the company's creations "unpretentious and elegant." He has hit the nail on the head, at least for the Chardonnay.
There is little information on specifics available, but the label tells us that the grapes are from Santa Barbara County and the alcohol level sits at 13.5% abv. It cost about $5. There is an effect of oak.
This yellow wine has a somewhat muted nose of citrus, minerals and apricots, with just a hint of vanilla. The palate is far more expressive, showing a beautiful array of lemons, limes, tangerines and green apples. The oak treatment is nicely done, spicy but not over-the-top buttery. The label had me hoping that the wine inside the bottle would be good, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was much better than good. This wine is not simply inexpensive - it's a bargain.
Members of the Dutton family have been working the land in Sonoma County since the 1880s, about a hundred years longer than the winery has been standing. Today, the family is sustainably farming about 1,200 acres of wine grapes in the Russian River Valley, Green Valley, and Sonoma Coast appellations. The grapes for the 2021 Sonoma-Cutrer Winemaker's Release Dutton Ranch Chardonnay came from the RRV - the Gerboth and Alpers vineyards - and were estate bottled at the winery.
The grapes were whole-cluster pressed and the wine was fermented in a mix of new and used French oak barrels, then aged in them on the lees for ten months. The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation, for the creamy mouthfeel. Winemaker Mick Schroeter puts his signature on the back label. The wine carries alcohol at 14.2% abv and retails for $40.
This wine has a clean looking greenish gold tint to it. The nose is beautiful, with notes of ripe peaches and nectarines along with some buttered bread. There is a citrus angle, too, with plenty of minerality. The citrus leads the way on the palate and there is a healthy dose of fresh acidity to go along with it. The buttery note lingers on the finish, which is lengthy and satisfying.
This pale golden wine has a beautiful nose which offers honeydew, peaches and citrus aromas. There is also evidence of the oak treatment, with vanilla and caramel notes playing lightly into the package. On the palate it is a full mouthfeel, rich and creamy. The oak spice comes through, but again does not get in the way of the fruit. Acidity is fresh and lively, enough so that shrimp or lobster can be on the menu - or any fish dish, really, especially in a creamy sauce.
2021 was an excellent growing season, according to the folks at La Crema. They say the winter was relatively dry and the spring was quite cold. The ripening of the grapes were urged along by a hot spell in August. The grapes were sourced from a handful of La Crema's estate vineyards - Laughlin, Saralees, Fluton, KelliAnn, Carneros Hills West, Carneros Hills East, Piner and Durell among them.
The wine was aged for six months in barrels, on the lees and after malolactic fermentation. Three-quarters of the wood was French and a quarter was American oak. Seventeen percent of it was new. Alcohol sits at 13.5% abv and the retail price tag reads $23.
The straw colored wine offers a bountiful nose, full of floral notes, citrus, stone fruit and a decent helping of oak spice. The mouthfeel is full and creamy, yet with an acidity that is just short of racy. The fruity palate is draped with enough oak so that you know it's there, but not so much that it is a bother. La Crema has a nice sipping Chardonnay here.
Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter
Barnhisel says that "the 2021 growing season in the Arroyo Seco was characterized by the coolest spring and summer in a decade. The cool weather during the summer provided a slow and even ripening of the grapes, while the afternoon winds helped to keep the fruit healthy until harvest." The wine was fermented in oak and aged there as well, for 14 months. Nearly half of the French oak was new. Alcohol hits 14.5% abv and the retail price is $25.
The J. Lohr people call this wine their "Ode to Burgundy.," but I feel that this wine wants to be noticed. The pretty yellow juice offers up a nose of Meyer lemons, peaches and nectarines with a healthy dollop of oak present. The bouquet also contains a bit of vanilla and butter. The palate is loaded with oak effect, but the citrus and stone fruit still poke through. Acidity is refreshing, if just a tad flabby. It is an enjoyable wine, particularly if you have a fondness for the old Cali style of Chardonnay.
Fred Cline writes that his Carneros Chardonnay - Hat Strap - was named for the habit of cinching one's hat strap while walking the vineyard as the winds from San Pablo Bay blow across the vines. It's that wind that helps keep the climate cool for the grapes to increase their hang time, which increases their flavor. It also has cost more than a few people their hats.
The grapes - from Los Carneros - were fermented in a mixture of steel tanks and oak barrels, with 10 months aging, which took place mostly in French oak. A little more than a third of the wine was aged in first-use wood, a third in neutral barrels and the rest was aged in stainless steel tanks. Extended contact with the spent yeast cells resulted in 100% malolactic fermentation, using a bacteria designed to inhibit buttery notes. Alcohol sits at 14.5% abv and the wine retails for $30.
The 2021 Hat Strap Chardonnay from Cline colors up very pale in the glass and offers a nice nose of lemon, apricot and white pepper. The palate frames the fruit with savory herbs like sage. The acidity is lively enough to pair with salads, pasta with cream or lemon sauce and mushroom risotto. The finish is long and savory with a strong streak of salinity in it. This one of the better Chardonnays I have had in a while.
Jensen's Booker Vineyard is certified organic. The MFN grapes come from a variety of special vineyards. The name comes from one of his grape-growing neighbors, who would always identify himself on the phone as "your favorite neighbor." It's nice to know we are not limited to just one favorite neighbor.
MFN Blanc 2021 is full-throated Chardonnay, grown in San Luis Obispo County. The wine was aged for eight months in equal parts new and experienced oak barrels. Alcohol sits at 14.1% abv and the retail price is $50.
This wine sits golden in the glass and offers a beautiful nose of apricot, Meyer lemon and oak spice, with a nice dollop of salinity in the mix. That savory note explodes on the palate and brings all that lovely fruit along with it. The acidity is right on the mark - food friendly while maintaining the creamy mouthfeel. The oak treatment is noticeable, but not at all overdone, and it leaves a nearly buttery sensation on the lengthy finish.
Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter
Just so you don't let it slip past you, they have named their flagship line "Turbine," after the 45-foot Skystream windmill which powers their facility. I have been supplied with a Chardonnay from this line, and I am eagerly looking forward to their Picpoul, Rosé, Pinot Noir and carbonic Grenache, as well as a red and a white blend of Rhône varieties. The wines come packaged in lighter-weight glass and without a foil capsule over the cork.
The 2021 Anaba Turbine White, as the Chardonnay is known, is sourced from coastal Sonoma vineyards. Winemaker Katy Wilson ferments and ages the wine entirely in stainless steel. She says that allows the fruit flavors and natural acidity to shine. The wine's alcohol level clocks in at 12.3% abv and it sells for $34. Only 233 cases were produced.
This is one of those wines which show us why people like Chardonnay so much. It sits light yellow in the glass. It gives a very nice package of aromas - peaches, apricots, citrus, tropical fruit - which goes to demonstrate the all-steel vinification it went through. Those fruit flavors are abundant on the palate, and the acidity is fresh and zippy. The finish is fairly long and leans into the stone fruit notes after the sip.
Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2020
The 2020 vintage brought with it all the usual challenges that winemakers find - drought, hot weather, wildfires - plus the additional problem of COVID to work around. They did work around it and managed to produce a wine which is another in a long line of California classics. This wine was split between oak and tank aging - 85% oak for eight months. Alcohol sits at a moderate 13.9% abv and the bottle retails for $23.
The nose is bursting with the aroma of apricots and peaches, lemons, vanilla and butter. The palate is as rich as Chardonnay gets, with sweet stone fruit flavors and a zippy acidity. You will be able to pair this wine not only with salads'n'seafood, but chicken and pork as well. The finish leaves a buttery reminder of the wine's opulence.
The Les Pierres estate vineyard features volcanic soil, loaded with minerality, baked in sunshine and cooled by the Pacific Ocean. Only six percent of their Sonoma Coast Chardonnay came from Les Pierres.
The winemaker says the 2019 vintage was one for the ages - double the amount of rain that usually averages all year. Other than that, it was perfect California weather all season long. The wine was fermented in oak and aged there, too, for a full year with another six months in the bottle. Full malolactic fermentation was reached, lending a full and creamy mouthfeel to the sip. Alcohol clocks in at 14.2% abv and the wine retails for $46.
The wine is quite pale, mostly a very faint yellow with a hint of green at times. Its nose offers up more citrus than stone fruit, but both are well-represented. The fruit steals the show on the palate, too, although the acidity is quite racy and makes a case for itself as the lead. There are wonderful spice notes that come through in aromas and flavors. Oak is handled tastefully and the finish is long and supple.
Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter
They say their terroir is a very rare soil, calcareous clay, the same type found in Saint-Émilion and the right bank of Bordeaux. The limestone subsoil, they say, is perfect for growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux varieties. They boast that it was exactly the soil they were looking for more than a decade ago when they searched around the world for their dream vineyard.
Now known as DAOU Mountain, the land rises to an elevation of 2,200 feet in the hills of the Adelaida District, on the west side of the Paso Robles AVA. Georges wants to make it clear that he and his brother did not buy a winery - they bought dirt and brought in the passion to unlock its potential. Daniel is the winemaker sibling.
The 2020 Bodyguard Chardonnay, however, comes from Santa Barbara County. It is the newest addition to the Daou wine list. The grapes were grown in the Santa Barbara appellation, a great source for Chardonnay grapes. French and American oak barrels give the wine that classic California Chardonnay feel. Alcohol hits 14.5% abv and the retail sticker reads $40.
One sniff and you know this golden juice is a California Chardonnay. The peach, pear and lemon aromas are as upfront as you'd expect, and the whiff of buttery oak - not at all overdone - draws the drinker in like a magnet. Amazing fruit drives the palate, too, with enough of that buttery feel to remind us why we love California.
