Mike Parker is the man who turned me onto the wines of the Okanagan Valley and I will be grateful to him for the rest of my life -- provided that I can continue to get rare bottles like this Blue Mountain Chardonnay from him (since they're virtually impossible to find in the U.S.)! Honeysuckle fruit and high acidity make this a very special Chardonnay that is markedly different than the typical Napa versions...
Home winemakers can rival the pros, and you know the home winemaker is serious when they start producing whites! Nice work here by the Wine Thieves (my buddy Matthew Purdon).
La Crema's Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignon's are widely available throughout California and across the U.S.
Ryo Fu (cool breeze) is a tip of the hat to Akiko Freeman and her family in Japan.
This was my first taste of Hafner's reserve Chardonnay.
Kevin Gottesman (seen in slight obstraction through the bottle) shared this 3L Paragon bottling from Edna Valley with a few dozen work friends. Rich fruit, clean expression, buttery finish. Classic chardonnay varietal characteristics on display here from San Luis Obispo County.
It's always fun to drink a bottle of wine with the proprietor, and this Streicker is one of my favorite Chardonnays because of its impressive minerality and low-oak profile. An excellent wine to open the night with -- cleansing the palate before attacking the long line of Bordeaux shown below...
By far the largest source of Rhys' fruit (100% estate) comes from Alpine Vineyard. I really am not a fan of many California chardonnays -- but this one's minerality, low-oak profile, and understated nature is a revelation. It's the antithesis of the typical California chardonnay -- and a shining example of Santa Cruz Mountains fruit. ~$100 (if you can find it); 94 points
Novy is Siduri's 2nd label, and they came across the fruit for this Keefer Ranch Chardonnay by mistake after the winery delivered their Chardonnay instead of their Pinot Noir fruit... When told to "keep it and see what you can do with it" they made an amazing wine! This is a crisp and light bodied Chardonnay which is not overoaked -- it's a style of Chardonnay production that I wish was far more prevelent... Excellent QPR wine at $22; 92 points
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