Chardonnay

This is their basic Chardonnay.  Screw capped.  A very nice value.  Pale yellow gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with grapefruits and slight chalky notes.  Clean.  Light to medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is refreshing.  Notes of grapefruits.  This is nice on its own and better with some food.  A good wine to match with sea food or vegetarian fare. Drink over the next few years.  

A couple  of steps up from the basic Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.  Light golden in color with some silvery hues, clear and bright.  The nose is great with lemon curd, slight pear, vanilla and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, this is concentrated but has some elegance.  Lemons, slight vanilla, a bit of toast and spice.  Complex.  Long finish.  For my tastes, one of the top Chardonnays out there.  It should easily drink well for ten to fifteen more years.  Great on its own, but better with food.  This would be excellent with grilled Salmon.  

Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The  nose is nice with limes, vanilla, and spice.  It has a leaner texture with crisp acidity.  On the palate, more lemon than lime along with a nice minerality and spice.  Clean finish.  This sees no new oak but certainly has a perception of some oak which is interesting.  It should work well with seafood or vegetarian fare.  Pad Thai would might be nice.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

Kite Tail has always been a very expressive Chardonnay and this iteration is no exception. It deviates from traditional Chardonnay and delves into richer, more mature elements. What’s surprising then is that this iteration has less oak and less malolactic time than previous versions. Yet this still retails a wonderful acidity, character and aroma, not to mention a palate experience that brings in oak-like notes, without the cumbersome oak heaviness. All estate grown, all Chardonnay, this offers a nose of soft muted lemon, resin and butterscotch/gardenia.

Deep golden in color and cloudy but bright.  That is typical appearance for Aubert.  The nose is a bit different with pineapples, baked apples, lemon curd and vanilla bean.  Full bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, there is a lot going on.  The pineapple carries thru along with apples, slight vanilla, spice and some lemon curd on the long finish. This is complex and deep.  It is great/contemplative on its own but will work well with food.  It went very well with Veggie Flat Breads, but would also be great with clams.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

Probably my favorite in the excellent lineup of Rivers Marie Chardonnays and this vintage is no exception.  Light golden/silver/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is deep and strong with green apples, lemon peel, minerality with slight chalk, slight spice and vanilla.  Full bodied.  Crisp but rounded edges.  Great racy texture.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Flavors of green apples, lemon juice and minerals.  Long finish.  This is drinking beautifully, if young on its own but will work well with the right food.  Calamari would be a great choice.  Drink over the next ten to fif

This is their basic offering (not a single vineyard) that is supposed to be a bit more approachable in its youth.  Light golden in color with some green hues, clear and bright.  The nose has apples, slight lemon citrus, spice and salinity.  Nice texture.  Good balance.  On the palate, this is round with no hard edges.  Good minerality.  Apples with some spice.  Good finish.  It is drinking well now and should be for another seven to ten more years.  Good on its own, this would be nice with baked Trout.  

There is always a question as to how well white wines age in general and the Rhys chardonnays specifically.  This one, anyway, is ageing quite well at age 12.  Light gold/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemon curd, vanilla and minerality.  Full bodied.  Good balance.  No tannins.  On the palate, this is nearing peak but not really showing any signs of old age.  Flavors of lemon curd, some citrus, vanilla and char.  Long finish.  This is deep and complex.  Great on its own, better with food.  It would be great with sea food, but was also great with Pasta Primavera.  I would t

Rhys may be my favorite Chardonnay producer (that I still choose to afford) and Santa Cruz may be my favorite region for Chardonnay.  But, still, this is their basic offering and I had low expectations.  They were far exceeded.  What an excellent wine.  I ended up drinking two bottles over three days and that is unusual.  Light golden in color with slight silvery/green hues.  Clear and bright.  The nose is great.  Very mineral driven but also some lemon creme, vanilla and a touch of grapefruits.  Medium to full bodied.  Lots of energy.  Light tannins.  Great acidity and balance.  On the pal

One of the old guards of Oregon, this winery had gotten away from Chardonnay for a time, but in the last decade they revived it.  This is 100% Chardonnay.  Light golden in color, slight green hues, clear and bright.  The nose is classic with lemon peel, nutmeg, and slight dust.  Full bodied.  Creamy texture (stirring of the lees?).  Light tannins.  On  the palate, this has slightly crisp, tart acidity.  Flavors of Meyer lemons with nice minerality.  Long finish.  This is a very good, middle of the road, Chardonnay that drinks wonderfully on its own and will work well with the usual foods; s