C H A R D O N N A Y 98 LION'S RIDGE 2021 Chardonnay Reserve - Central Coast $25 (tasted 6/7/23) 98 THE VINECRAFTER 2017 Chardonnay South Africa $10 (tasted 9/25/18) 97 BALLARD LANE 2016 Chardonnay Central Coast $12 (tasted 8/5/18) 97 BLUE QUAIL 2021 Chardonnay Potter Valley - Mendocino $18 All fruit (no oak!) in a wonderfully-crafted, well-balanced wine exhibiting crisp tropical fruit, apple, peach and pear flavors with light floral and mineral elements, ending in a finish that goes on and on and on. Consistently one of the best non-oaked chards we taste! (tasted 3/31/22) 97 BLUE QUAIL 2020 Chardonnay Potter Valley - Mendocino $16 All fruit, no oak, in a wonderfully-crafted, well-balanced wine exhibiting crisp tropical fruit, apple, peach and pear flavors with light floral and mineral elements, ending in a finish that goes on and on and on. Consistently one of the best non-oaked chards we taste! (tasted 5/17/21) 97 BURNSIDE ROAD 2017 Chardonnay Mendocino County $15 (tasted 6/25/18) 97 CONTEMPO 2018 Chardonnay Chile $10 (tasted 2/14/19) 97 COPPER CAP 2021 Chardonnay Reserve - California $15 (tasted 8/10/22) 97 HONEST 2016 Chardonnay California $17 This is a really pretty wine for those who don’t like a lot of oak/butter. Nice, fresh tropical and stone fruit aromas mingling with light floral notes and whiffs of oak and butter. Crisp fruit on the palate, well-balanced and structured in a smooth body leading to a wonderful long, lingering finish. (tasted 6/4/18) 97 LAKE SONOMA 2020 Chardonnay Russian River Valley $34 This is a chard that’s right on the boarder of too much winemaking, but the wonderful fruit attributes shine through in the end. Being a typical Russian River chardonnay, there is lots of peach, pear, some citrus and light apricot flavors battling a good dose of vanilla and toasted oak. As the wine opens in the glass, the fruit emerges and conquers the oak, delivering a really pretty, juicy palate leading to a long, lingering finish capped off with oak. (tasted 10/20/22) 97 SANBORN 2018 Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills $18 (tasted 6/17/20) 97 SEAN MINOR 2017 Chardonnay Central Coast $14 Pretty pineapple, green apple, peach, banana and lemon/lime aromas nestled in light vanilla and oak. Beautifully balanced, fresh, crisp and wonderfully structured it’s hard to stop drinking this wine. Great mouthfeel all the way through the long, lingering finish. (tasted 6/12/18) 96 BLUE QUAIL 2019 Chardonnay Potter Valley - Mendocino $16 Our consistent note with this wine is this is what chardonnay is supposed to taste like. All fruit, no oak, in a beautifully-crafted, well-balanced wine exhibiting crisp tropical fruit, apple, peach and pear flavors with light floral elements, ending in a long, lingering finish. (tasted 8/1/20) 96 CONTEMPO 2019 Chardonnay Cachapoal Valley - Chile $10 (tasted 9/10/19) 96 GRAYSON 2021 Chardonnay Lot 11 - California $14 (tasted 6/20/22) 96 MAGNOLIA (KRUTZ FAMILY CELLARS) 2015 Chardonnay Inspiration Vineyard - Russian River Valley $20 (tasted 3/29/18) 96 MATCHBOOK 2017 Old Head Chardonnay Dunnigan Hills $15 At first this wine smells like a typical California chardonnay – a lot of winemaking and very little fruit. But as it opens and hits your palate it transforms into a wonderfully balanced, crisp wine with loads of character and fruit, some spice and just enough butter and oak to round out the long, lingering finish. This is a wine for those who want a balance between a typical Cal chard and an un-oaked chard. (tasted 12/19/18) 96 NOW PRESENTING 2017 Chardonnay Central Coast $15 This is a really nice, smooth, creamy Central Coast chard without a lot of winemaking getting in the way. Aromas and flavors of pear, citrus, red apple and peach shine on the palate, with light nuts, vanilla and oak in the background. Very nicely done! (tasted 6/3/19) 95 AROMO 2017 Chardonnay Maule Valley - Chile $10 (tasted 5/29/19) 95 CYCLES GLADIATOR 2019 Chardonnay California $13 (tasted 9/10/21) 95 EVEREARTH 2020 Chardonnay California $15 (tasted 7/7/21) 95 JOHN'S VINEYARD 2019 Chardonnay Central Coast $15 (tasted 10/21/20) 95 JOLIESSE 2017 Chardonnay California $13 Through the initial aromas and flavors you want this wine to have just a bit more fruit. But once in the glass for a while the fruit does emerge, creating a crisp, clean, nicely-balanced wine. Do this: drink a glass then put the opened bottle in the frig for the next evening. The fruit will be much more pronounced the second day. (tasted 2/17/19) 95 LONGVALE 2020 Chardonnay California $18 (tasted 10/14/21) 95 LONGVALE 2019 Chardonnay California $15 (tasted 1/17/21) 95 MATCHBOOK 2014 Old Head Chardonnay Dunnigan Hills $15 (tasted 9/3/16) 95 SEBASTOPOL HILLS 2020 Chardonnay California $18 (tasted 1/15/22) 95 Shortbread 2020 Chardonnay California $15 (tasted 7/1/22) 94 BLUE QUAIL 2018 Chardonnay Potter Valley - Mendocino $16 (tasted 3/8/19) 94 LONGVALE 2018 Chardonnay California $15 (tasted 11/17/19) 94 SEBASTOPOL OAKS 2019 Chardonnay California $15 (tasted 11/8/20) 94 THOMAS HENRY 2023 Chardonnay Sonoma County $20 Pretty nose of pears, granny apples, grapefruit and nectarines, with floral notes and a nice complement of butter, vanilla and toasty oak. Then palate delivers all of the above in a nicely balanced body that leads to a soft, lingering finish. (tasted 5/6/24) 94 WILLOWBROOK 2019 Chardonnay Napa Valley $24 (tasted 3/6/21) 93 CONTEMPO 2021 Chardonnay Cachapoal Valley - Chile $10 (tasted 11/14/21) 93 CYCLES GLADIATOR 2017 Chardonnay California $10 (tasted 3/4/19) 93 WILLOWBROOK 2018 Chardonnay Napa Valley $24 (tasted 11/17/19) 93 WILLOWBROOK 2017 Chardonnay Napa Valley $24 This is what we call a TCC – Typical California Chardonnay, which is not a bad thing if you like a lot of winemaking getting in the way of the fruit and secondary characteristics. The first day we tried it there was just too much oak and vanilla. But after letting it sit overnight no preservation system) the fruit came out and the winemaking subsided a bit. Still a lot of oak and vanilla, but a lot of people like that, so… (tasted 6/3/19) 93 WILLOWBROOK 2016 Chardonnay California $16 (tasted 7/15/17) 92 SEBASTOPOL OAKS 2018 Chardonnay California $15 (tasted 3/22/20) 91 CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC 2019 Chardonnay California $15 (tasted 11/8/20) 91 ESTATE CELLARS 2019 Chardonnay Central Coast $16 (tasted 9/10/21) 90 CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC 2018 Chardonnay California $18 (tasted 11/17/19) 90 CYCLES GLADIATOR 2020 Chardonnay California $13 (tasted 7/1/22) 90 EDUCATED GUESS 2017 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast $25 (tasted 11/18/19) 90 FREELANDER 2018 Chardonnay District One $14 (tasted on 8/10/20) 90 JOLIESSE 2018 Chardonnay California $12 (tasted 2/27/20) 90 LIONS RIDGE 2020 Chardonnay Reserve - Central Coast $25 (tasted 7/1/22) 90 TARAVAL 2019 Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands $18 (tasted 11/27/20)