Wine & Spirits - October 2019 - 44

YEAR'S BEST
US CHARDONNAYS
Our blind panels tasted 442 US chardonnays over the past 12 months. Our critics rated 134 as exceptional (90+) and 38 as Best Buys.
Joshua Greene covers California's North Coast; Patrick J. Comiskey covers the rest of the US. Their initials follow their reviews.
Find a complete list of wines tasted and all reviews at wineandspiritsmagazine.com.

CA LI FO RN I A
518012

88 | Kendall-Jackson

$17

2017 California Avant Chardonnay (Best
Buy) ^ Avant typically sees less oak than Kendall-Jackson's other chardonnay bottlings; in
2017 at least half the wine is fermented and
aged in stainless-steel tanks. It's bright and
clean, with juicy apple and nougat flavors
and a hint of salinity. -P.J.C.

CENTRAL COAST

517335

93 | Deovlet

$32

2017 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ Well made and well priced,
with a leesy hazelnut scent and fine-tuned
flavors, this has a driven, sleek quality to its
honey-and-golden-apple flavors. It's long
and focused, with mild acidity framing the
flavors, and a pleasing salinity. For sand dabs.
(161 cases) -P.J.C.

$50

2017 Mt. Harlan Chardonnay ^ Calera has
about ten acres of chardonnay planted in
Mt. Harlan's limestone soils; two-thirds of
it was planted in 1984. This vintage had the
tasters at our table sitting up in their chairs.
"Oh," said one, "this wine has some stuffing
to unstuff." It leads with a powerful oak spice,
from 30 percent new and 10 percent seconduse French-oak barrels; then it turns rich and
beautifully structured, the fruit round, with
notes of toasted lees, hazelnuts and golden
apple. It needs time or a decanter before
you serve it with a roast chicken, Zuni style.
(W&S 8/19; 1,900 cases) -P.J.C.
517379

93 | Chanin

$35

2017 Santa Barbara County Los Alamos
Vineyard Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ Grown
in the sandy soils of Los Alamos, this has a
comfortable, effortless feel, from its nutty
spiced-apple scent to the mildly oak-driven
flavors of caramelized pear. It's minerally,
layered and precise, with a linear acidity that
draws the wine to a tart and detailed finish.
For roast chicken. (581 cases) -P.J.C.
44

WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2019

90 | Scheid

$45

90 | Stephen Ross

$28

89 | Chamisal

$18

2016 Santa Lucia Highlands Reserve
Escolle Road Vineyard Chardonnay ^ This
captures bold, generous SLH fruit in a brisk
wine with a fresh, oceanic feel. Its juicy flavors of apples and pears carry enough fruitskin tannins to match the meatiness of a veal
chop. (W&S 2/19; 100 cases) -J.G.
517549
2017 Edna Valley Chardonnay ^ Fresh and
lifted, with notes of pineapple, mango and
white corn, this has a light spice and nutty
richness that will match well with shrimp
tacos. (645 cases) -P.J.C.
517480

517238

93 | Calera

514927

517736

91 | Baileyana

$28

2017 Edna Valley Firepeak Chardonnay ^
Sleek and elegant, with crisp apple and pear
scents, this has a luxurious nutty savor that
gives the wine length and complexity. It's a
lot of wine for the price, and a good pairing
with breaded calamari. (4,082 cases) -P.J.C.
517243

90 | Eberle

$26

2018 Paso Robles Eberle Estate Vineyard
Chardonnay ^ Bright and leesy, this has a
pleasant briskness to what ought to be a
warm-climate wine, simple and salty, with a
lively green-apple texture that's framed by a
dusty, windswept phenolic grip. (W&S 8/19;
1,280 cases) -P.J.C.

2017 Central Coast Stainless Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ An unoaked chardonnay,
this salty white is balanced and bright, with
notes of yellow-apple skin and ground nuts
that give it a chewy density. It finishes on a
brisk lemon-oil note; for lemon sole. -P.J.C.

S A N TA C R U Z M O U N TA I N S
518052

93 | Ridge

$80

2016 Santa Cruz Mountains Monte Bello
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Think orange blossoms in an oak vase and you may come
close to imagining the scent of this wine. It's
rich without being viscous; it buzzes with
the energy of alcohol and none of the heat.
Working against all logic, air takes it toward
reduction, tightening the aroma under scents
of matchstick, even as the peach and yellowapple flavors create a megaphone of fruit in
the end. It's a soil-driven wine that makes no
compromises for early drinking. Built to cellar for ten years or more. (430 cases) -J.G.

http://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com https://www.scheidvineyards.com/product/2016-Chardonnay-SLH-Reserve?pageID=6295F69D-065D-B15F-4AB6-DB91FCD3977F&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=9& http://www.deovletwines.com/Wines/WhiteWines.html https://www.calerawine.com/product/2017-calera-mt-harlan-chardonnay?productListName=White%20Wine&position=2 https://shop.nivenfamilywines.com/product/Baileyana-Firepeak-Chardonnay-2017?pageID=4F43E869-BC02-FB6B-79F6-F833F74109B2&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=10&

Wine & Spirits - October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - October 2019