United States Chardonnay

Organic/Bio A tribute from Stephen to his wife and partner, Niki. As he explains, “The night Niki and Stephen met, they half-jokingly agreed to move to Oregon to start a family and farm. Eight weeks later they stood on the... Read More

At once rich and juicy, this is a terrifically drinkable Russian River Chardonnay with a definite luxury feel. Barrel fermented and aged (33% new oak), it delivers intense peach, apricot and tropical fruit aromas and flavors with... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV As always, one of the best values in top-notch Willamette Valley Chardonnay. It's from vines planted 1977-1999 on the estate, picked ripe and fresh (13.1% abv), and fermented and aged in French oak. Definitely... Read More

Organic/Bio As Wine Advocate says in the 97 point rave, The 2021 Chardonnay Casteel is complex and alluring, offering dynamic aromas and flavors as it unfurls with oxygen over several days. The nose offers lemon peel and panna... Read More

From a California Sparkling wine specialist, this is elegant, nicely textured, Chardonnay of fine freshness and length. In 2023, it’s all Russian River fruit from a vineyard next door to Kistler and Ritchie Vineyards and... Read More

Really well-made, balanced and drinkable California Chardonnay here with a pretty much perfect balance of freshness and richness. As Wine Enthusiast says in the 92 point review, Spiced and creamy, with a full-bodied mouthfeel,... Read More

A terrific Chardonnay with just the right balance of creaminess of texture, fresh fruit and golden butter caramel spice. Fine with food, fine solo - really, just very fine! As Jeb Dunnuck says in the 92 point review, Dierberg... Read More

Lower ABV We’re not even going to try to explain the premise behind Curt Schalchlin and Andrew Jones’s “Fable” approach to naming wines. But the wine in the bottle here is very good Chardonnay indeed, loaded... Read More

One of the more impressively delicious California Chardonnays we've had recently, showing how putting perfectly ripe, low-yield, fruit into barrel (28% new) can yield a wine that's creamy, deep, mineral and not really... Read More

Hartford Court is easily one of the top “traditional” California Chard houses working today in the <$100 price point and this “village” bottling shows off their skill and ethic to a “T”.... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV This is seriously good California Chardonnay in a fun style from the very serious guys at Model Farm. The fruit is all from sites 1,000 feet or higher elevation, farmed organically, fermented with native... Read More

Organic/Bio Joanna Wells and Sean Castorani make mountain wine - wine only from California vineyards at 1,000 feet elevation and above. Here they're working on Wildcat Mountain in Carneros where fog and wind from the bay nearby... Read More

Luc Morlet still consults at Peter Michael while making his own wine that sits right up there with Peter Michael in terms of quality and depth. This is a stunner, perfectly balancing richness of texture with bold fruit and deep... Read More

We like Wine Spectator's description so much, we're going to use it here: Rich and bold up front, offering plenty of honeysuckle and spice notes. A drizzle of wildflower honey and a toast detail complement flavors of apricot... Read More

One of America's most popular premium Chardonnays is, as usual, a perfect blend of satisfying richness and food-friendly verve. It's a blend of fruit from cool Carneros and warmer St Helena fermented and aged in steel... Read More

Another terrific release of this long-time California Chardonnay value champ. It shows the ripe fruit you'd expect from California with Santa Barbara's distinctive freshness and a very light touch with oak. It's generously... Read More

Unlike their grandfather, Robert, and dad Tim (at Continuum), Carlo and Dante leave Cabernet to others and focus on Burgundy's Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The style matches California ripeness with Burgundian minerality to... Read More

Lower ABV From one of the smallest standalone wineries in Napa (just 2,000 cases per year), this is the kind of handcrafted, elegant and delightful Chardonnay that should sell for 50% more (but don’t tell Sean and Juliana!).... Read More

As Vinous says in the 92 point review, The 2022 Chardonnay Estate is a total knockout. Bold, punchy and immediate, the 2022 is absolutely irresistible. A rush of ripe apricot, pear, white flowers, spice and chamomile makes a strong... Read More

Tom Meadowcroft’s purpose for Thomas Henry is pretty direct: “Serious Value.” This delivers. All Chardonnay, no oak, it’s a big mouthful of green melon, juicy pear, crisp apple and fresh citrus zest and... Read More

Another great vintage, and last year's 90 point Vinous review very much applies: Soft, supple and absolutely delicious. Light tropical notes, lemon confit, white flowers and bright acids give striking nuance as well as character.... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Ken and Erica are among the leading proponents of Willamette Valley Chardonnay – in fact, a bit more than half their production is now Burgundy’s fine white grape. While most of their volume is... Read More

Lower ABV Think of La Combe Verte as the equivalent of a “village” white Burgundy. Although most of the wine comes from sites better thought of as “1er Cru”. The stone fruit core here perfectly balances... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV I thought the 2021 X Novo the best Willamette Valley Chardonnay I'd ever tasted - then I tried this. Burgundian is overused in talking about non-Burgundy Chardonnay, so we'll say Meursault-ian instead.... Read More