Chardonnay

This is 100% Chardonnay from Oregon.  Light yellow/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with lemon curd, slight melon and spice.  Full bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is reasonably crisp with lemon, slight lemon candy and spice.  Nice finish.  Overall, this is a very nice Chardonnay which drinks nicely on its own and will certainly work with seafood or vegetarian dishes.  It has enough body to work with pork or fowl as well.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This is their top Chardonnay.  Very impressive.  Light golden in color with a touch of green and a slight touch of copper.  Clear and bright.  The nose has baked apples, wild herbs, slight vanilla and a touch of grapefruit.  Lovely, full bodied, texture.  Good balance.  Crisp.  On the palate, the baked apples and vanilla come thru along with a touch of lemon curd.  This is a bigger rounder Chardonnay at least in this vintage.  Great on its own and this will work well with richer foods as well as the usual pairings.  It would be nice with a creamy mushroom pasta with alfredo sauce.  Drink ov

Adelsheim was established in Oregon in 1971.  This is their basic Chardonnay and it is excellent and a great value.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is very nice with grapefruit, slight peaches, limes and a bit of minerality.  Full bodied.  Nice acidity. Great, slightly oily texture.  On the palate, this is very clean.  Some grapefruit with slight peach.  A bit of pine on the back end.  Tasty.  This is nice on its own and will be versatile with food.  It would work well with seafood such as Crab Salad.  Drink over the next three to five years.  

This is a lovely sparkling wine from Oregon.  It is 100% Chardonnay.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  It has a full mousse with a thick head of tiny bubbles.  The nose is persistent with lemons and some lanolin notes.  With a bit of air, some apple notes emerge.  Good acidity.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, fresh lemons and slight chalky notes.  A long, slightly tart finish.  Overall, this is an excellent sparkling wine that should drink well for another decade.  It is very food friendly and will work with a wide variety of foods.  It was very nice with a French Lentil Sa

Calera winery has been making wine for almost 50 years. But few people ever visit this winery. It’s way off the normal wine experience, being sequestered in the Gavilan Mountain range near the tiny town of Hollister. But that is also its best quality. There is a lovely viscosity to this Chardonnay - a thickness that rolls over the tongue. Yes, you will find the requisite lemon chiffon, lime kefir, white peach, green apple and Asian pear.

From one of the top producers of Chablis.  Impressive showing.  Light gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has crushed shells, green apples, lemons and a slight waxy note.  Great texture.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Crisp granny smith apples with crushed shells and slight lemon notes.  Deep and complex.  Long finish.  This drinks well on its own and is very food friendly.  Obviously shell fish but this went quite well with sweet potato sushi and even asparagus sushi.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

It was interesting to try this side by side with the Vaudesir.  While neither one could be called blowsy or showy, this has more presence and weight.  Light golden/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is classic Chablis.  Green apples, chalky minerality, slight gunpowder and slight white flowers.  Full bodied.  Great balance.  Firm acidity.  On the palate, green apples with underlying minerality and just a hint of  flint/gunpowder.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own but needs food to really shine.  Shell fish would be ideal but it went nicely with Japanese Noodles as well.  This

Can a Grand Cru be austere and pretty at the same time?  This wine seems to answer that question in a positive way.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has great minerality along with peach and slight lemon peel.  Medium to full bodied.  Crisp, tangy acidity.  On the palate, there are peach and lemon lime notes that are piercing yet delicious.  Long finish.  This wine begs for food.  Shell fish would be ideal but it worked well with a sauteed mushroom dish as well.  Drink over the next eight to twelve years.  

Probably my favorite vintage of this wine and with the escalating prices, who knows if I will get to try another one.  Light golden in color, clear with a nice mousse of lots of tiny bubbles.  The nose is clean with toast, slight lemons, and minerality.  It is tight to start but opens quickly.  Full bodied.  Crisp acidity.  On the palate, there is some lemon, lemon peel, and minerality.  Deep and complex.  Concentrated.  Long finish.  This is still showing very young, but delicious.  It should have no problem going another twenty years if well stored.  It will work wonderfully on its own, a

Dampt makes some of the best value in Chablis.  With the price of the top two or three wineries going crazy, these are excellent wines that are affordable.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose has great minerality/crushed shells and just a hint of lemon.  Clean.  On the palate, this is crisp and tasty.  Crushed shells.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own but would be perfect with oysters or clams.  Drink over the next ten to twelve years.