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Cristaldi Scores

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2023

Valette

Rochioli Chardonnay by Tom Rochioli

All estate fruit from Tom Rochioli. There’s a wonderfully lush, creamy richness here, underscored by very pretty, lacy acidity. Notes of lemon oil and a creamy center are layered with wildflower honey and gorgeous French pastry nuances. It’s delicious on a stick—haha. Absolutely long and layered. Pair it with whole roasted goose or turkey thighs—unctuous, with crisp, crunchy fat—or roast chicken in a mushroom sauce. Anything poultry, really. Pheasant for sure: the gaminess of the bird and the richness of this Chardonnay will crush your soul with goodness.

2023

Wente Family Vineyards

Small Lot Limited Release Chardonnay

Fermented in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and French oak barrels, this wine was aged sur lie for six months with regular stirring. The remaining portion was aged in neutral oak and stainless steel to preserve freshness. Sourced from Montpellier cuttings, it opens with inviting aromas of vanilla, yellow apple, biscuit, lemon drop, and jasmine. The medium-bodied palate offers a pleasing richness, balanced by a bright line of acidity. The finish is long and warming, with lingering notes of wood spice. -JR

2023

William Fevre

Chablis Champs Royaux

From a Chablis producer who can do no wrong when it comes to crafting beguiling whites. Lemons, white blossoms, and minerals abound on the nose and palate for what feel like days. Almost effortlessly drinkable. – J.R.

2023

Wood Family Vineyards

Para Mas Amigas Chardonnay

This 100% Chardonnay was barrel fermented in 32% new French oak and aged for 9 months with biweekly lees stirring. Bold and expressive, it offers layers of pineapple, lemon oil, tangerine zest, and honeycomb. Full-bodied on the palate, with mouthwatering grip and tension, it builds to a long, spice-laced finish accented by baking spice and vibrant acidity.

2024

Banshee

Chardonnay

Partially fermented in French oak and stainless steel, the wine underwent full malolactic fermentation and spent eight months aging in 30% new French oak prior to bottling. It is sourced mostly from the Foley family’s estate vineyards, which are farmed by the family. The wine is bright, showing citrus and orchard-fruit tones with candied ginger and white flowers. A crunchy, juicy acidity drives the palate, balanced by plenty of richness, toasty oak, vanilla, and a touch of grilled pineapple on the lengthy finish.

2024

Chalk Hill

Chardonnay

The Sonoma Coast Chardonnay from Chalk Hill is sourced from a mix of sites—Wobkin, Ramal, Chalk Ridge, Rail Road, and additional Russian River Valley vineyards. The fruit is whole-cluster pressed, cold settled, and fermented in French oak with full malolactic fermentation and lees stirring. It is aged 8–10 months in 23% new French oak. The wine offers a heady mix of yellow apple, grilled pineapple, lemon curd, and white peach, all laced with vanilla and well-integrated buttery, toasty oak. Brown baking spices add warmth, while generous, juicy acidity underscores the wine’s plush character and delivers a freshness that’s hard to beat. A decadent wine—yet balanced by its brightness.

2024

Concannon Vineyard

Chardonnay

Aged for seven months in neutral oak with a small portion in stainless steel, this wine is 100% estate grown from Triska Vineyard and Arroyo Mocho Creek Vineyard. The 2024 vintage brought a warmer end to the season, but for the white varieties it was a fairly average, steady growing year. The wine is wonderfully tropical, with white peach and pineapple notes, along with a touch of lemon curd. Fragrant French pastry tones and a hint of quince add lift and complexity. The finish is crisp and satisfying, laced with gentle warming baking spice.

2024

Darcie Kent Estate Winery

DeMayo Chardonnay

Fans of previous vintages of this wine will immediately recognize its rich, toasty, and buttery croissant aromatics, along with decadent layers of yellow apple, creamy pear, and warm baking spice accents. All that richness is supported by vibrant energy, and in 2024, all the components feel especially well-balanced and seamlessly integrated. In short, this is a delicious Chardonnay. The DeMayo Vineyard is a small 4-acre Chardonnay site in the Crane Ridge area of the Livermore Valley, located just south of Tesla Road, ranging from about 1,000 to 600 feet in elevation. Grapes are whole-cluster picked, then fermented and aged for six months in French oak.

2024

Dovecote

Thompson Vineyard Estate Chardonnay

The 2024 Dovecote Estate Chardonnay from Thompson Vineyard in Alisos Canyon, a limited release of just 54 cases, is a stunning example of California Chardonnay that combines richness with real elegance. On the nose, it opens with that classic toasty, buttery brioche character—think a freshly baked, crispy brioche straight from the farmer’s market—along with layers of Meyer lemon and baked apple. On the palate, all those flavors come together seamlessly, balanced by a bright, lemony acidity. There’s a beautiful textural grip and a crushed sea salt impression that leaves your mouth watering, complemented by nuances of apricots, crushed Marcona almonds, and pressed wildflowers. It’s a remarkable wine with great depth, tension, and a saline, mineral-driven length that will resonate with any lover of beautifully balanced California Chardonnay.

2024

Ferrari-Carano

Chardonnay

The Chardonnay is barrel fermented and aged 10 months sur lie in 20% new French oak. Grapes are sourced from 60 different lots across Sonoma County. For the past decade, the wines at Ferrari-Carano have been made by winemaker Natalie West. There’s a lavish aromatic pop of rich, toasty, graham-cracker sweet oak that carries straight onto the palate, where the wine shows super-expressive character—lemon curd, lemon meringue, grilled pineapple. Despite all that richness, the wine stays balanced thanks to a vein of salinity that brings real freshness. The oak is beautifully integrated: never cloying, just vivid and tasty. You have to love this style to love this wine—and if you do, at $27 it’s a terrific value.

2024

Garre Vineyard and Winery

Chardonnay

100% Chardonnay from the Estate Vineyard, fermented at 53°F in stainless steel. Winemaker Aaron Luna, who joined the winery in 2016, crafts a bright, focused expression. The winery was established in the late 1990s and is owned today by Gina Carderra. Lemon-bright and refreshing, with white flowers and a hint of honeysuckle, lifted by tangerine oil and a crisp, crunchy acid grip. Clean, energetic, and easygoing.

2024

Innumero

Bootlegger's Hill Vineyard Chardonnay

From Bootlegger’s Hill Vineyard, this wine shows high-toned citrus fruit, cool stony minerality, and crushed sea-salt notes. It’s medium-bodied with absolutely racy acidity, offering lemon-peel freshness on the palate and a saline–acid richness. Cedarwood spice is well integrated, building into a subtle beeswax character, all carried by excellent freshness. Sourced from the Green Valley, where fog influence is strong and consistent.

2024

Innumero

Ellen Lane Vineyard Chardonnay

Ellen Lane Vineyard is surrounded by forest, and the wine from this site shows a richer, rounder profile — toasty oak spices, ripe orchard and stone fruits, and a creamy generosity. Juicy, ripe pear and white-floral notes carry through on the finish. Entirely Hudson clone. Sheree and Brian Thornsberry are the co-founders who launched the brand in 2021, sourcing fruit from prime sites throughout the Russian River Valley. Both come from finance backgrounds, and their focus is on single-vineyard, single-clone bottlings. They hired Ashley Herzberg as winemaker from day one; she also makes wine for the Bacigalupi family, CAST, and Amista. Sheree tells me that she and her husband have traveled to wine regions around the world and fell in love with the lifestyle. Innumero is Latin for “above and beyond the number.” They produce just under 1,000 cases annually. The wines are sold almost entirely DTC, with a handful of placements in Healdsburg restaurants.

2024

J Vineyards & Winery

Lot #32. 'Decennial' Sparkling Wine - Chardonnay, Multi-Vintage Blend (2014-2024)

TASTING NOTE: Lot #32. Barrel Sample: OMG, yum. Are we in Champagne? Absolutely not. But does this wine make a strong case that J Vineyards can produce serious bubbly—serious enough to fool most WSET Level 3 students into thinking it’s the real thing? Absolutely. Bright biscuit and baking spice aromatics lead into a rich, building mousse layered with chalky minerality, toasted almond, and French pastry. Dosage is 5.5 g/L. Exceptionally well built, deeply pleasing, and poised to age gracefully for at least a decade. From the Auction Lot Catalog: ABOUT THE WINE: “Decennial” represents the essence of a decade’s worth of vintages, skillfully blended to create the perfect dosage for this wine. For this special bottling, the 2015 vintage Blanc de Blancs was enhanced with a dosage blend of 10 years of vintage Blanc de Blancs from the winery’s library. The blend of wines, ranging from 2014 to 2024, beautifully complements the 2015 vintage and highlights the unique characteristics brought by age and singularity. Each sip captures the unique characteristics and complexities of ten years of winemaking excellence. J Vineyards & Winery was founded by Judy Jordan as a sparkling wine house in 1986, one of the first to focus on the incredible fruit grown in the Russian River Valley. The winery adheres closely to the traditional method process, but the winery’s style and vineyard sites give their sparkling wines a modern California perspective. “Decennial” showcases the exquisite depth and quality of sparkling Russian River Valley Chardonnay. A bead of fine bubbles rises to form a lively, delicate mousse, lifting aromas of fresh green apple and orange blossom from the glass. Notes of Asian pear, nectarine and lemon curd evolve on the palate to richer, more savory baked apple pie and toasted pine nut characteristics. Beautifully crisp and dry, it finishes with bright, refreshing hints of sea spray. WINEMAKER(S): Laura Fontaine, Nicole Hitchcock ESTIMATED BOTTLING DATE: December 2025 ESTIMATED SHIPPING DATE: June 2026 National Distribution: Includes all 50 states and Washington, DC

2024

Jax Vineyards

Sebastopol Vineyard Dutton Ranch Chardonnay

From the Sebastopol Vineyard. Fermented in barrel with 40% new French oak and partial malolactic fermentation; five barrels produced. The wine is light and bright, full of crunchy orchard-fruit character — white peach and apricot — with great mid-palate richness and a chalky mineral note that lingers on the lengthy finish.

2024

Kobler Estate Winery

Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay

The use of a white Burgundy yeast helps to bring out more crème brûlée notes. Fermented in barrel and aged sur lie with bâtonnage for 10 months in 25% new French oak. The wine is rich, with a buttery profile and notes of banana panna cotta and pineapple on the nose, along with vanilla, butterscotch, and candied ginger spice. Lemon-oil richness adds to the silky, buttery texture. And while it’s undeniably opulent, it still carries some brighter fruit on the palate to keep it lifted.

2024

Kokomo

Peters Vineyard Chardonnay

There’s a lot to love in this Chardonnay—it’s both generous in fruit and spice yet focused and racy on the palate, the best of both worlds for this variety. Rich lemon, lemon oil, and sea salt combine with a fleshy texture balanced by saline-driven acidity that sharpens the focus and brings tension. The finish deepens with sweet oak spice and candied lemon peel. Quite the compelling sipper from these folks. Owner and Winemaker Erik Miller founded Kokomo Winery in 2004 (named after his hometown of Kokomo, Indiana). Miller partnered with fourth-generation grower Randy Peters to craft wines from the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys.

2024

Longboard Vineyards

Rochioli Vineyard Chardonnay

Longboard’s 2024 Russian River Valley Rochioli Vineyard Chardonnay is 100% Clone 76, native fermented, and aged on the lees for six months before being bottled unfined. It opens with a wonderfully rich nose of lemon oil, anise, and tarragon, layered with smoky, toasty oak spice. Full-bodied and deeply flavored, it’s packed with charred pineapple, apricot, and lemon curd, showing impressive depth and concentration. Bold and unapologetically rich, it lingers with a savory, spiced finish.

2024

Marine Layer Wines

Aries Chardonnay

Sources include vineyards in Freestone-Occidental and the Petaluma Gap, along with the Marine Layer Vineyard in the Sebastopol Hills and fruit from Green Valley. Fermentations are native, with partial malolactic fermentation, followed by gentle lees stirring once per month. The wine is aged for 11 months in 500-litre puncheons from Stockinger, Damy, and Atelier, bottled unfined and lightly filtered. The wine builds beautifully in the glass, opening with bright aromatics of apple and white flowers, accented by a pop of tarragon or fennel. On the palate, a lovely creamy core from Wente Clone and Calera clones is framed by subtle apple-skin tannin grip, with hints of brioche and beeswax adding depth. It finishes with a wet-stone mineral character and crunchy sea-salt salinity, bringing lift, precision, and a sense of controlled unctuousness through the close. The 2024 vintage was a little warmer than 2023 but this is right in the same pocket qualitatively as the 2023. Snap it up!

2024

Melville

Estate Chardonnay, Clone 76 Inox

This wine was fermented in stainless steel using grapes sourced from the West Side Vineyard, where naturally low pH levels contribute to soaring, ripping acidity. It’s cold-pressed, cold-fermented, and cold-aged—every step designed to preserve freshness and minerality. There’s no oak influence and no lees stirring. Once fermentation finishes—after about three weeks—the wine is racked to stainless steel for an additional four months before bottling. The result is a bracing, delicious wine with lemon-lime brightness, white flowers, jasmine, and honeysuckle. The acidity is like a beam of light—laser-focused, bright, and crunchy—building toward a long, saline-mineral finish that’s practically perfectly made for seafood.

2024

Pruett

Austenitic Chardonnay

Fermented and aged entirely in FCC Crystal stainless steel (austenitic-grade, named for the crystalline structure of the steel), this Chardonnay is sourced exclusively from Bob’s Vineyard and planted to Dijon clones. “We treated the pressing like a Sauvignon Blanc,” the winemaker says—blanketing it with CO₂ to keep the wine in a reductive state before fermenting and aging it entirely in stainless, with malolactic fermentation fully blocked. The aromatics are vibrant and layered, with notes of honeycomb, orange zest, and crushed almonds. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shows a rich vein of crystalline acid tension and sea salt minerality, with impressive length.

2024

Pruett

Poulet Sautant Chardonnay

Poulet Sautant Unoaked Chardonnay is named for the “jumping chickens” on Bob Pruett’s property—specifically, his wife’s Polish Frizzles. During the growing season, the chickens leap up to knock berries off the vines to feed their young, which Bob has come to view as a charming (and accurate) indicator that the grapes are ripe and ready to harvest. This unoaked Chardonnay is super fresh and bright, with aromas of ripe pear, apple, and lemon citrus. Medium-bodied on the palate, it shows fleshy, creamy pear and apple fruit framed by zesty, electric acid tension. The finish is lifted by a touch of salinity and a pop of honeycomb.

2024

Valravn

Chardonnay

This wine is representative of Sonoma County in a broader sense, combining fruit from the Marine Layer Vineyard with a distinctly Russian River lens. Winemaker Rob Fischer says he’s aiming to push ripeness just a touch while still retaining the lively acidity and brightness associated with Sonoma Coast fruit, with the intention of making a wine that appeals to a broader audience. To that end, the wine shows a pleasing richness from barrel fermentation and lees stirring, layered with bright citrus and underripe pineapple fruit, sweet spice, candied ginger, and lovely toasty oak notes. All of this is framed by the saline-driven acid tension typical of the Sonoma Coast, balanced by the lusher, richer fruit profile of the Russian River Valley. It’s quite delicious for the price point, especially given the quality of the vineyard sources, which include Gap’s Crown Vineyard, Heintz Vineyard, Durell Vineyard, Bohemian Vineyard, and Hawk Hill Vineyard—all top-tier sites.

2024

Vaughn Duffy Wines

Bacigalupi Vineyards Chardonnay

From the Bacigalupi family’s historic Goddard Ranch—the first property Helen and Charles Bacigalupi purchased in the 1950s, and the source of grapes used in Chateau Montelena’s legendary 1973 Chardonnay that won the Judgement of Paris—this wine carries a remarkable legacy. Aged for 10 months in French oak barrels (50% new), it offers layers of baked lemon, orchard fruit, lemon oil, and French pastry richness, all seamlessly integrated. Vaughn Duffy is a small, family-owned winery based in Sonoma County producing about 3,000 cases annually and specializing in Pinot Noir. The wines are crafted by forklift-wiz-turned-winemaker Matt Duffy, who co-founded the winery in 2009 with his wife, Sara Vaughn.

N/A

Champagne Piaff

Blanc de Blanc NV

This fifth-generation producer from Épernay crafts Champagnes that undergo full malolactic fermentation. Grapes are sourced from Vitryat, and the wine spends 28 months en tirage with a dosage of 7 g/L. The nose reveals gorgeous chalky mineral notes alongside white truffle and French pastry aromas. The palate delivers a luscious, creamy mousse with rich earthy undertones, pure apricot, and white peach character, complemented by nougat and Marcona almonds. The long, satisfying finish is elevated by a pop of hazelnut. This Champagne’s style is captivating and sure to delight.

N/A

McGrail Vineyards

Gracie Brut Sparkling Wine

This sparkling Chardonnay from Lucky 8 Vineyard was harvested in late August at approximately 17 Brix with a pH of 3.0. Fermented in stainless steel, it was then racked to neutral oak for about three months before returning to stainless for heat and cold stabilization. The wine was bottled, tirage-aged, riddled, and finished with a dosage of just 2 g/L. It boasts bright lemon citrus and apricot notes, accented by fragrant white flowers and hints of nougat. The mousse is rich and creamy yet assertive, framed by soaring acidity and a long, mineral-driven finish. Crisp, clean, and beautifully structured.

NV

HV Vineyards

Right Bank Blanc De Blanc

Super expressive from the start, this 100% Chardonnay opens with a lifted nose of baking spice, oyster shell minerality, and lemon pastry. The palate builds in intensity with a focused, assertive mousse and fine beading, resolving into a stunning, saline-rich finish layered with salted lemon peel and French pastry notes. Bright, focused, and precise throughout. Aged 24 months on the lees with some time in neutral oak post-primary fermentation; no malolactic conversion. Dosage is 7 g/L. Crafted under the direction of General Manager Russell Moss.

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2022

Producer

Name

Sourced entirely from Ritchie Vineyard and crafted from Old Wente Clone Chardonnay, this wine is fermented with native yeast and aged 11 months in 27% new French oak, followed by two months in stainless steel barrels before bottling. The bouquet is stunning—bursting from the glass with expressive aromas of baked citrus, orchard fruit, honeysuckle, and jasmine, all layered with the richness of buttery French pastry and crème brûlée. On the palate, all that opulence comes together beautifully, with lemon laced in wildflower honey and toasty wood tones building to a crescendo on the long, candied-mineral finish. Domaine de la Rivière is a family-owned winery nestled in the renowned Middle Reach neighborhood of the Russian River Valley. Growers since 2011, they released their first vintage in 2017.

2022

Producer

Name

All you really need to know about this Rita’s Crown Chardonnay is that one glass will never be enough. You’ll swirl, sniff, sip—and suddenly want to chase its magic for days. It holds the energy of a late afternoon thunderstorm, with a moody edge and an electrically zesty palate, like a raincloud squeezing out lemon juice, shifting to lemon oil, then unleashing waves of fresh and candied ginger. It splashes across the palate like rain on slick slate—slightly smoky from the first drops hitting warm stone. Irresistible, complex, and utterly compelling. You just can’t get enough of this structured, dynamic, and gorgeous Chardonnay. It lives on the far side of “delicious”—a word we haven’t invented yet, but one that would mean delicious multiplied by infinity.

2022

Producer

Name

The golden hue hints at what’s to come—a ripe, toasty, and voluminous Chardonnay layered with crème brûlée, charred pineapple, salted lemon peel, and rosemary-herbed almonds. Despite its richness, the palate retains a refreshing coolness from lively acid tension, finishing lip-smackingly bone dry. Quite a wine. Sourced from the winemaker’s estate vineyard, the Chardonnay was hand-harvested, barrel-fermented, and aged 15 months sur lie in 50% new French oak with bâtonnage before being bottled unfiltered. Established in 2017 by Elaine and Mark Sale, Elaine Wines produces fewer than 200 cases annually.

2022

Producer

Name

A generous and expressive Chardonnay from the famed Sangiacomo Vineyards, it opens with buttered croissant and yellow apple before gaining momentum and complexity on the medium-bodied palate. Layers of unctuous stone fruit, charred pineapple, and lemon-lime acid tension support the ripe, succulent fruit profile and all that toasty, buttery oak goodness. This Chardonnay is sourced from two Sangiacomo family vineyards: Roberts Road Vineyard in the Petaluma Gap, where fog and wind keep temperatures cool, and Green Acres Vineyard in Sonoma Carneros, which benefits from the marine influence of San Francisco Bay. Aged for 11 months in French oak barrels (30% new).

2022

Producer

Name

This 100% Chardonnay comes from two blocks within the Rocchioli-Allen Vineyard, an iconic site planted just south of the Rochioli Vineyard. Aged for 10 months in 35% new French oak. It’s a full-throttle Chardonnay brimming with toasty brioche and salted lemon peel, layered with apricot, white peach, and charred pineapple on the palate. For all its richness, the wine retains excellent, cooling acidity—a hallmark of this exceptional site. Gary Farrell Winery has been a pioneer of the Russian River Valley wine scene for over 40 years.

2022

Producer

Name

Located near the Laguna de Santa Rosa, the Lorenzo Vineyard is the coldest Chardonnay site from which Landmark sources fruit each vintage. Whole-cluster-pressed and barrel-fermented with native yeast, the wine is then aged for 14 months in 100% French oak (35% new). It boasts an impressively bold nose of overripe citrus, toasted almonds and custard, while the palate tightens with citrus-driven, saline mineral tension. The finish is expressive, carrying toasty and nutty notes that linger with real authority.

2022

Producer

Name

Packs a punch of butterscotch and toffee, crème brûlée, and candied peach rings, with a palate-coating, toasty richness that carries through the long, oak-kissed finish. This is no shy Chardonnay—bold, creamy, and unapologetically hedonistic—yet beneath all the luxurious oak, the ripe orchard and tropical-leaning Sangiacomo fruit still shines through. It’s not a wine for the Chardonnay faint of heart or for anyone seeking Chablis; this is Chassagne-Montrachet on steroids. The 2022 Sangiacomo Chardonnay is sourced from grapes grown at the Kiser Vineyard off Arnold Drive in the cool, windy Sonoma Carneros AVA, just north of San Pablo Bay. Whole-cluster pressed and barrel-fermented with native yeast, the wine was aged in French oak (35% new).

2022

Producer

Name

The nice thing about the OTTO Line is that the tasting notes are right there on the label. It’s a medium-bodied wine offering juicy pear, a squeeze of lemon zest, and crushed almonds—at least according to the front label, and I’d agree wholeheartedly, though I’d also add white flowers to the mix. There’s a touch of candied ginger and a wonderfully warm, saline mineral quality. The label also notes that the wine is made from sustainably grown grapes and contains no added sugar, which is perhaps more a nod to consumer misunderstanding—most wines are dry and don’t contain added sugar to begin with, but that’s a whole other conversation for another time.

2022

Producer

Name

Sourced from Wente and Mt. Eden clones in Durell Vineyard, this Chardonnay offers lovely, ripe, and succulent orchard fruit notes softened by aging in one-third new French oak and neutral oak puncheon, giving the wine a beautifully silky, satiny texture. The oak profile is balanced and subtle, weaving a tapestry of elegant cedar spice around understated tropical fruit tones of white peach, pineapple, and overripe pear. Fine apple-skin tannins carry a gentle sprinkling of salinity, and the wine finishes with excellent energy and length.

2022

Producer

Name

Expressive orchard fruit lifts from the glass in this single-vineyard Hawk Hill Chardonnay from the Sonoma Coast. It’s almost impossible not to swallow—it vibrates with energy and tension the moment it hits the palate, in a way that’s unmatched by many Chardonnays from this region. While it reflects a stylistic shift taking hold here, this wine is refined, lively, bright, and focused. Citrus spray, apple, and pear fruit come through, with even a touch of apple-skin tannin, but what makes it so crushable is the salinity. It’s like liquified Pink Himalayan sea salt—super expressive and monumentally delicious. The vineyard is “nestled in the confluence of the Green Valley and Freestone sub-AVA’s, where Salmon Creek and Russian River watershed meet,” according to Marine Layer’s technical sheet. Grapes are whole cluster direct to press and cold settled overnight. Ferments in concrete egg and neutral oak puncheon. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation. Some lees stirring, and aged 11 months, bottled unfined and lightly filtered.

2022

Producer

Name

Stylistically similar to the estate Vineyard Milea BDX Red Blend, this wine leans darker, with forest berry fruit, conifer, and cedarwood spice. Medium- to full-bodied, it delivers supple, juicy dark fruit layered with a touch of salty dark chocolate and lifted by blood orange acidity. The finish is long, expressive, and remarkably fresh.

2022

Producer

Name

Harvested just after midnight to preserve freshness, this white was made with precision and intention—sourced from the north-facing side of the vines to enhance its lean, mineral character. Inspired by the wines of Southern Burgundy, it was whole-cluster pressed, barrel-fermented in neutral French oak, and aged sur lie for six months. A Burgundian yeast strain was used to further emulate the region’s style. The result is a mineral-driven wine bursting with peach, pear, and yellow apple. The palate showcases pure stone fruit flavors with a refined, almost delicate elegance. -JR

2022

Producer

Name

The 2022 Samsara Chardonnay hails from Francesca Vineyard, a windswept, seven-acre site on the far western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills, where sandy-loam soils and full Pacific exposure yield intensely concentrated fruit. Aromatically, it lifts from the glass like a perfectly buttered bowl of popcorn—rich with caramel, smoky toasted oak, and butter croissant notes. Despite the decadent nose, the palate is more focused and linear, with plenty of mid-palate richness layered with baking spices. Bright lemony acidity keeps it taut, balanced by citrus oil richness—think lemon and tangerine—finishing with salted, toasted almonds. A bold, generous expression of Chardonnay from this extreme coastal site.

2022

Producer

Name

From Durell Vineyard. The sandhill at the top of this site isn’t sand at all but diatomaceous earth, and Gaffner works with three clones planted there: Wente, See, and Rued. The nose is intensely mineral, with a chalky edge, salted Marcona almonds, flinty notes, and well-measured toasty oak spice. The palate has real depth and flavor, showing apricot, white peach, pear, and yellow apple, all carried by a saline-toned minerality. A touch of lemon-cream lift comes through on the finish, a hallmark of Gaffner’s long, slow, cool fermentation with malolactic completing later.

2022

Producer

Name

From Durell, Sangiacomo’s Green Acres, and Catarina, where they work with a unique Chardonnay selection that reminds Jeff Gaffner of Riesling. The wine is barrel-fermented long and cool, with malolactic held back until the following spring; he stirs the lees through winter before allowing ML to finish naturally. The result is a layered, deeply textural Chardonnay with a complex, nuanced oak profile and impressive acid freshness. Extremely ripe quince, candied ginger, and a touch of saline drive the finish. Just dynamite.

2022

Producer

Name

Sangiacomo’s Green Acres Hill Vineyard in Carneros, planted entirely to Wente clone, yields a highly aromatic Chardonnay with a lift of lemon-cream foam that expands across the palate. Subtle tropical fruit richness and a thread of apricot follow, joined by beautifully integrated cedarwood and a clean, wet-slate minerality. The finish is laser-focused and long. A super expressive, multidimensional wine from winemaker Jeff Gaffner.

Vintage

Wine

Type

Rating

$

2022

2022 Domaine de la Rivière Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Dragonette Rita’s Crown Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Elaine Wines Calypte Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

$

2022

2022 Flambeaux Wine Sangiacomo Vineyards Chardonnay

Still Wine

$

2022

2022 Gary Farrell Winery Rochioli-Allen Vineyards Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Landmark Vineyards Lorenzo Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Landmark Vineyards Sangiacomo Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Maren (Bybee Wine Co) Otto Chardonnay

Still Wine

$

2022

2022 Marine Layer Durell Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Marine Layer Hawk Hill Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Milea Estate Vineyard Vincenza Reserve BDX Blend

Still Wine

$

2022

2022 Pruett Burgundian Chardonnay

Still Wine

$

2022

2022 Samsara Francesca Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

N/A

2022

2022 Saxon Brown Durell Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Saxon Brown ETRE Chardonnay

Still Wine

$$

2022

2022 Saxon Brown Green Acres Hill Vineyard Chardonnay

Still Wine

$

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