Wine & Spirits - October 2019 - 45

YEAR'S BEST US CHARDONNAYS
by him, by Martin Ray, who came before him,
and by Paul Masson, who planted the original material from Burgundy at his La Cresta
Vineyard in Saratoga. The oak comes first,
in a toasted-sesame scent that moves toward
grilled veal. Then yellow scents of roses,
chamomile and lemon come up, the flavors
lasting with smoky, earthy pallor. This should
age with grace. (1,176 cases) -J.G.

S A N TA M A R I A V A L L E Y

516530

93 | Thomas Fogarty

$62

2016 Santa Cruz Mountains Damiana
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ This comes from
the first vineyard Thomas Fogarty planted,
a clearing in the Santa Cruz Mountains at
1,890 feet, where the vines date to 1978. In
the 2016 vintage, the wine feels brisk and
cool, with yellow plum and yellow apple flavors deepening to an unctuous note of apricot fruit leather. It feels savory and naked, a
wine that tastes like a food, with the chew of
a fresh diver scallop or the richness of roast
sweetbreads, either of which would serve it
well. (W&S 6/19; 192 cases) -J.G.

513713

92 | Fess Parker

$40

92 | Kendall-Jackson

$45

2016 Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Generously but not
aggressively oaked, this is a creamy, oceanic
chardonnay. Its gentle richness folds fresh
notes of salt air into smooth lemon-custard
flavors. The fresh impression lasts. Chill it for
crab. (W&S 2/19; 500 cases) -J.G.
518007
2017 Santa Maria Valley Jackson Estate
Camelot Highlands Chardonnay ^ Made
from old-vine fruit from hillside blocks
planted above Santa Maria's benchland, this
is chardonnay in a classical vein. It's sumptuous and flavorful, the pear and apple flavors driven by oak without being over the
top. Powerful and stylish; for fried chicken.
(1,678 cases) -P.J.C.
517318

92 | Liquid Farm

516531

93 | Thomas Fogarty

$62

2016 Santa Cruz Mountains Langley Hill
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ You can taste the
redwood-forest mist in the cool feel of this
wine. Though the scent is youthfully inexpressive, hinting at jasmine and fruity wild
mushrooms, the wine feels open and luxurious. This grows at Fogarty's coolest chardonnay site, the vines planted in fractured sandstone, delivering a savory white that offers
the textural pleasure many wine drinkers
seek from a rich California chardonnay, even
as it lasts on saline minerality rather than
sweetness. It would be delicious decanted
for crab. (W&S 6/19; 339 cases) -J.G.
517387

$42

2017 Santa Maria Valley La Hermana
Chardonnay ^ La Hermana blends Bien
Nacido and Solomon Hills vineyard fruit,
roughly half and half. It's biscuity and stylish, with scents of hazelnuts and lees, and oak
notes that are demonstrative but not overbearing. It also has plenty of golden apple
flavor, its chewy succulence driven by fine
acidity. (350 cases) -P.J.C.
517687

92 | Scar of the Sea

$38

$60

2017 Santa Maria Valley Seven Leagues
Chardonnay ^ From three blocks of Bien
Nacido chardonnay, picked and fermented
separately, then blended in barrels and stainless-steel tanks, this is cool and saline. A fine
citrusy tang emerges with air (kumquats! said
one taster), framing a creamy crème brûlée
richness. A svelte pairing for rich white fish,
like haddock. (288 cases) -P.J.C.
517381

2016 Santa Cruz Mountains Estate Chardonnay ^ Classically austere in a Santa-CruzMountains-chardonnay-grown-at-2,000-feet
sort of way, this is Jeffrey Patterson's take on
some legendary vines. The Mount Eden vineyard features generations of plants selected

2017 Santa Maria Valley Bien Nacido
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ This is impressively
lean and leesy when first poured, with a terse
lemon-lime aroma and tight, tart flavors. It
has impressive energy and a succulence that

92 | Mount Eden

91 | Chanin

$40

hints at the lemony sun that peeks out from
the morning fog, and should get even better
with bottle age. (829 cases) -P.J.C.
517445

91 | Falcone

$30

91 | Zaca Mesa

$32

89 | Cambria

$22

2017 Santa Maria Valley Chardonnay
(Best Buy) ^ Rich as pie, this has a baked-apple
comfort and sweetness that feels gentle and
forthright. Scents of pineapple and lees and
the peach-skin bite to the finish give it shape
and elegance. (415 cases) -P.J.C.
517507
2017 Santa Maria Valley Homage Collection Sierra Madre Vineyard Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ A warm expression of Santa
Maria Valley chardonnay, this leads with
scents of dried pineapple and candied ginger, giving way to flavors of lemon curd and
ripe apple. It's generous yet tense, with its
share of controlled intensity, finishing firm
and angular. (349 cases) -P.J.C.
517510
2017 Santa Maria Valley Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ Starting off
leesy and bright, this savory chardonnay has
a whiff of smokehouse. The pear and apple
flavors are creamy and plush, with a grippy
almond-skin finish that will complement
fresh Santa Barbara salt prawns. -P.J.C.

S TA . R I TA H I L L S
517380

94 | Chanin

$45

93 | Deovlet

$40

2017 Sta. Rita Hills Sanford & Benedict
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ A complex old-vine
chardonnay, this delivers a litany of flavors
with spritzy precision: white flowers and sea
air, lime salt, fennel frond and white peach,
jasmine, acacia and smoke, to name just a
few. They yield to a finish that's soft, yellow
and creamy, like lemon curd and diatomaceous earth, and like the light at Sanford &
Benedict when the fog lifts, around noon.
(268 cases) -P.J.C.
517341
2017 Sta. Rita Hills Zotovich Family
Vineyard Chardonnay ^ This silky chardonnay starts out tropical, with flavors of
papaya and peach, then turns nutty. It feels
exceptionally poised, with a pure, enveloping
flavor that finishes with the freshness of a
just-picked golden apple. (98 cases) -P.J.C.

WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2019

https://shop.fogartywinery.com/product/2016-Damiana-Vineyard-Chardonnay?pageID=602B67B0-04F5-457E-78E6-DA1EADC0D9F8&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=12& https://shop.fogartywinery.com/product/2016-Langley-Hill-Vineyard-Chardonnay?pageID=602B67B0-04F5-457E-78E6-DA1EADC0D9F8&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=12&

Wine & Spirits - October 2019

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