Chardonnay Wines

wines

A mellow white, with a light touch of vanilla and clove accenting peach, apple tart and honey flavors. Well-delineated and balanced, with honey, spice and mineral accents on the finish. Best from 2024 through 2030. 131 cases made, 70 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2020 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru delivers the intensity one seeks in this cru, offering scent of chalk dust, lemon thyme and light loamy aromas. It builds nicely in the glass. The palate is well-balanced with a fine thread of acidity, compact on the entry yet it fans out nicely whilst retaining admirable tension from start to finish. I would have just liked a little more residual spiciness, but this will do nicely. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VMDiscreet though certainly perceptible wood sets off the ripe aromas of citrus confit, spring flowers, iodine and shellfish. The mouthfeel of the medium weight plus flavors is nothing short of gorgeous as it’s at once caressing but punchy on the sappy and strikingly long finish. This too would benefit from having better depth, but the density of material is such that more will almost certainly develop if allowed a few years first.Burghound | 93 BH

The 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Champgains wafts from the glass with aromas of pear, orange oil, confit lemon and freshly baked bread. Medium to full-bodied, layered and open-knit, it’s a fleshy, charming wine that’s giving but lively.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RPMore complex aromas consist of rosemary oil, pretty pear essence and whiffs of citrus confit. The utterly delicious and caressing medium-bodied flavors are rich to the point of opulence while coating the palate on the focused and lingering finale. This is very good and particularly so considering the young vines.Burghound | 91 BH

A beautiful chardonnay with cooked apple, dried mango and mineral character with a pumice undertone. It’s full-bodied with solid tension and a curated finish. Extremely polished and focused. Tensioned. No malo. Made from organic grapes. Drink now.James Suckling | 94 JSThe aromas are restrained but compelling, influenced perhaps by the herb gardens that grow alongside the vineyard. There is chamomile and verbena together with just a hint of the apricot and mango of ripe California Chardonnay. The palate is equally restrained, refreshingly steely, with a sinewy backbone of acidity supporting ripe yellow tree fruit. Malolactic fermentation was blocked but a plushness exists to the texture from battonage and there is a definite sensation of spongy compression on the mid palate, generous and delicious. The finish is pure-fruited and long. This is a lovely, refreshing wine to drink right now, light on its feet but sinewy as a dancer.Decanter | 94 DECFresh and expressive, featuring Honeycrisp apple, yuzu and lemon blossom flavors that show hints of marzipan and nutmeg, this white offers wonderful restraint and focus. The long, juicy finish reveals a hint of fresh-grated ginger. Drink now through 2030. 1,609 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSThe 2020 Chardonnay Carbone is terrific. Coming from older vines (planted in 1988), it has a pretty, perfumed nose of lemon curd, ripe melon, and white flowers, as well as a subtle tropical edge. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, with a solid spine of acidity and a great finish. It shines for its purity and elegance while still bringing good depth of fruit and concentration.Jeb Dunnuck | 93 JDThe 2020 Chardonnay Carbone is sourced from old vines in the Berry Lane vineyard in Coombsville, right next to the Carbone winery. The blocked malo style yields a Chardonnay built on brightness and energy, with lovely citrus, floral and savory accents. This is such a gorgeous wine.Vinous Media | 92 VM

The 2019 Chardonnay Laurelwood District comes from seven different vineyard sites throughout the appellation. It’s energetic, spicy and mineral-driven this vintage, with transparent aromas of white peach, beeswax, jasmine and flint. The palate pairs spicy fruit with exotic floral undertones. It has a satiny, expansive texture balanced by a spine of shimmery acidity, and it finishes long and expressive.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95 RPA crunchy and bright chardonnay with sliced lemon and honeysuckle, crushed stone and jasmine. Some lime and green mango too. Lovely acidity and hints of tannins give tension and energy to the wine at the finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSThis Chardonnay, made with fruit from the Ponzi family’s original 1970 plantings and a series of Laurelwood District vineyards, is quite a treat. Its floral qualities are almost too numerous to fit into a tasting note. Suffice it to say that honeysuckle, flowering tobacco and lemon catmint provide a heady amount of jasmine and citrus notes. Lighter-bodied, with a smooth mouthfeel, this lovely Chardonnay has flavors of Bosc pear, toasted filberts and a clean sea breeze. The acidity is lively, with a touch of butter on the finish.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEA handsome Chardonnay that offers elegantly complex apple and spice flavors, with a steely hint of minerality as this finishes on a vibrant accent. Drink now. 722 cases made.Wine Spectator | 91 WSThis perfumed white offers brisk Asian pear and apple blossom notes against a tonic mineral backdrop. It’s a bit more delicate and sheer in style compared to the producer’s more powerful, single-vineyard bottlings but delightfully thirst-quenching. The Laurelwood District in the Chehalem Mountains became an AVA in 2020 based on a petition by the Ponzi family to highlight the region’s deep, wind-blown loess topsoil over decomposed basalt.Decanter | 90 DEC

The 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chênes has turned out very well. Exhibiting aromas of crisp Anjou pear, fresh peach, warm bread, vanilla pod and citrus zest, it’s medium to full-bodied, bright and seamless, with a pretty core of fruit, lively acids and a long, chalky finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90+ RPThis is aromatically similar to the straight Chassagne though with a pretty floral element. The vibrant middle weight flavors possess a slightly finer, if slightly less generous, mid-palate mouthfeel despite having better density, all wrapped in a lingering finale. This is a wine of contrasts as the mouthfeel is reasonably refined yet the finish flirts with rusticity. Les Chênes typically ages quite well, and this example should as well. Recommended.Burghound | 90 BH

The 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers is pure and precise, revealing aromas of pear, crisp green apple, mint and white flowers. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with racy acids and a saline finish, it will age with grace.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RPA hint of reduction shaves the high notes from the otherwise pretty citrus, pear and soft floral scents. There is less volume but notably better refinement to the delicious, vibrant and well-detailed flavors that possess a suave mouthfeel while delivering fine length on the clean, bright and balanced finale that isn’t quite as complex, at least not yet.Burghound | 91 BH

Aromas of pear, lemon zest, freshly baked bread and toasted nuts preface the 2021 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chênes, a medium to full-bodied, pure and fleshy wine built around racy acids and chalky structuring extract. Again, this is a very strong effort at the communal level that illustrates this domaine’s upward trajectory.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90+ RP

The 2020 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard comes from vines planted in the 1970s. It was matured for 12 months in 35% new French oak and finished with six months in stainless steel. This shows the impressive concentration and generosity that could have defined the style of the 2020 vintage before the wildfires hit. Youthful tones of crème brûlée and toast give way to citrus blossoms, lemongrass and apricot on the nose. The medium-bodied palate pairs generous, honeyed fruit and a luxurious, mouth-coating texture with laser-like acidity that compels you to take another sip, and although the Arista wines generally age well, there’s no reason to wait for this—drink it over the next 3-5+ years. 650 cases produced.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPLeans into tropical notes of pineapple and mango, with fresh citrus accents, an elegant, soft body and fresh acidity that gains momentum on the long, expressive finish, where a touch of toasted green tea and honeyed, toasted sesame lingers. Drink now. 650 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WS

Great depth comes with impeccable balance in this beautifully proportioned wine that is silky and bracing at the same time. Bright acidity mingles with ripe Bosc pears, cream and toast flavors that linger nicely on the finish. Collectible and age-worthy, it will only improve with time. Best from 2026–2036.Wine Enthusiast | 98 WEThe 2020 Chardonnay Rochioli Vineyard has pretty scents of baked apples, honey, roasted almonds and honeysuckle. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and expansive with a core of savory fruit balanced by bright acidity, and it finishes long and layered.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPFleshy, with honey-drizzled crisp apple, pear and melon flavors, plus spice accents that add warmth to the fruit core. Reveals a hint of graham cracker crust that lingers on the harmonious finish. Drink now through 2029. 765 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

Great flavor concentration and a nicely taut structure define this beautifully balanced wine. It is refreshing and rich at the same time, carrying light lemon zest and green-apple skin accents on a delicious base of quince and Gravenstein apples, while gently coated with subtle shades of toasted oak. Best from 2026–2036. Wine Enthusiast | 97 WEThe 2020 Chardonnay Woolsey Road Vineyard was harvested on August 17th before the wildfire smoke arrived, and with its pure, mineral-driven expression, it’s worth cellaring for several years. The nose opens with iodine and nori tones that give way to pretty scents of panna cotta, spring honey and lilac. The medium-bodied palate is buzzing with shimmery acidity that enlivens its perfumed fruit, and it has a long, saline-driven finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPShows juicy apple and pear flavors that are crisp and sleek, with lemon meringue, ginger and tropical hints on an appealingly dense, fleshy frame. Delivering details of toasted herbs and minerality, this is harmonious and expressive on the long finish. Drink now. 359 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2021 Chardonnay One Sixteen, matured for 14 months in 34% new French oak, takes some time to shake off its youthful crème brûlée and allspice tones to reveal apricot, beeswax and honeysuckle aromas. The medium-bodied palate offers powerful fruit and oak spice and satisfying freshness to lift the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

Quite a shy, flinty nose that develops attractive orange-blossom character with some aeration. But this has plenty of depth and a serious tannin structure that gives it quite some weight. Long, chalky finish that is just a touch on the austere side. From 2.7 hectares. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JS

Rich candied-citrus nose, but none of the exotic-fruit character that some wines of the vintage have. Stacks of stony minerality on the palate enable it to carry all the flesh easily. Very clean finish with excellent energy and vitality. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 91 JS

The 2019 Chablis Vaillons 1er Cru has a less flamboyant bouquet than its peers. This feels more reserved and flinty, though very nicely defined and focused. The palate is well balanced, with the weight and density I look for in a Vaillon, and a little spicier than the Vosgros. A touch of lemongrass and a hint of green olive appear toward the finish. Fine.Vinous Media | 91 VMAromas of peach, apricot, honey, white flowers and iodine preface the 2019 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and charming wine that’s the most demonstrative premier cru in the cellar this year.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 90 RP

The 2021 Chablis Bougros Grand Cru, 80% aged in oak, has a delightful bouquet with orchard fruit, lemon verbena and orange pith scents that burst from the glass. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, quite precise with a welcome touch of bitter lemon that keeps the finish on edge. Not a long-term Bougros perhaps, but finely crafted. Tasted blind at the BIVB tasting in Chablis.Vinous Media | 93 VM

Ripe green fruit aromas are laced with hints of spice, wood and oyster shell. There is excellent volume and mid-palate density to the tension-filled big-bodied flavors that evident a taut muscularity on the balanced, long, compact and lemony finale. This is a quality Bougros that is built to reward mid-term cellaring.Burghound | 92-94 BH

A classically structured wine for this appellation with the weight and round generosity that we expect from it, but with plenty of bright citrus and pear fruit, something these wines can lack a bit of. Good depth with an excellent integration of chalky minerality and healthy acidity at the long and delicate finish. With aeration a touch of vanilla bean develops on the nose. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSA subtle but easily perceptible dollop of wood sets off the pretty and layered aromas of hazelnut, pear compote and citrus confit. The rich and very generously proportion medium-bodied flavors exhibit both good density and energy on the saline-inflected, very dry and impressively long finale. Lovely and worth considering.Burghound | 89-91 BH(Meursault- Maison Joseph Drouhin) The villages level bottlings of both white and red wines at Maison Drouhin have been getting better and better with each passing vintage, and the 2020 Meursault is no exception. This is a lovely wine, offering up a ripe and very refined bouquet of apple, tangerine, hazelnuts, fruit blossoms, a fine base of chalky soil and a nice base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full, complex and succulent at the core, with a lovely girdle of acidity, impeccable balance and a long, vibrant and quite classic finish. Fine juice. (Drink between 2022 - 2040)John Gilman | 91 JG