• California,  Chardonnay,  Santa Barbara,  Tasting Room Selection

    Tasting Room Selection

    Clendenen Family Vineyards Chardonnay “The Pip” 2015 In the Fall of 2018 I took a trip to Santa Barbara, CA to visit a few selective wineries and taste some of their current offerings, particularly the Rhone blends.  There were four of us tasting wines and my comments, on each of the wines tasted, incorporate nuances from everyone’s palate.  It was a great trip, the wines were outstanding and the folks I met at each of the wineries were extremely informative, helpful and very generous with their time.  The wineries have “Wine Clubs” which offer some tremendous, small production, wines that can only be obtained directly from the vineyard.  I recommend…

  • California,  Chardonnay,  Santa Barbara,  Tasting Room Selection

    Tasting Room Selection

    Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Los Alamos Vineyard 2016 In the Fall of 2018 I took a trip to Santa Barbara, CA to visit a few selective wineries and taste some of their current offerings, particularly the Rhone blends.  There were four of us tasting wines and my comments, on each of the wines tasted, incorporate nuances from everyone’s palate.  It was a great trip, the wines were outstanding and the folks I met at each of the wineries were extremely informative, helpful and very generous with their time.  The wineries have “Wine Clubs” which offer some tremendous, small production, wines that can only be obtained directly from the vineyard.  I…

  • California,  Chardonnay,  Sonoma,  Weekend Selection

    Weekend Selection

    Sonoma-Cutrer 2013 Les Pierres Chardonnay I first became acquainted with Sonoma-Cutrer during a Sonoma wine tasting event in the 80’s and met Brice Cutrer Jones.  When I tasted his Chardonnay, in a word, outstanding, one of the best I have tasted, but that was a while ago.  The Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay was my “go-to” Chardonnay until about the time Brice Cutrer Jones was no longer associated with the winery.  In 1999, Brown-Forman, the Kentucky-based drinks giant acquired Sonoma-Cutrer, and 2 years later fired Brice Cutrer Jones.  Since Brice’s departure, the Chardonnay was good, but not “outstanding”.  I have tried several vintages throughout the early 2000’s and was not…

  • California,  Chardonnay,  Exceptional White,  Russian River Valley,  Sonoma

    Exceptional White

    Jordan Chardonnay 2014 In 1972, Tom and Sally Jordan, a young couple from Colorado who shared a passion for French food and wine, followed their hearts to California’s wine country. When the two married in 1959, they dreamed of being vintners together. They drank virtually only French wines, enjoyed French food that Sally diligently learned to cook, and traveled throughout France, wining and dining their way through every region. In the 1950s there weren’t any restaurants of note in their home town of Denver, so the Jordans either traveled abroad or entertained at home for culinary experiences. The two knew a winery would one day be in their future, but…

  • California,  Chardonnay,  Exceptional White,  Russian River Valley,  Sonoma

    Exceptional White

    Sonoma-Cutrer The Cutrer Sonoma Chardonnay 2015 I first became acquainted with Sonoma-Cutrer during a Sonoma wine tasting event in the 80’s and met Brice Cutrer Jones. When I tasted his Chardonnay, in a word, outstanding, one of the best I have tasted, but that was a while ago. The Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay was my “go-to” Chardonnay until about the time Brice Cutrer Jones was no longer associated with the winery. In 1999, Brown-Forman, the Kentucky-based drinks giant acquired Sonoma-Cutrer, and 2 years later fired Brice Cutrer Jones. Since Brice’s departure, the Chardonnay was good, but not “outstanding”. I have tried several vintages throughout the early 2000’s and was…

  • California,  Chardonnay,  Exceptional White

    Exceptional White

    Mount Eden 2014 Edna Valley Chardonnay Mount Eden Vineyards is a small wine estate perched at 2000 feet overlooking Silicon Valley in the Santa Cruz Mountain Appellation, about 50 miles south of San Francisco, founded in 1945. Mount Eden’s lineage of estate bottled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is the longest in California. Planted in austere, infertile Franciscan shale on a cool, exposed mountaintop, these low-yielding estate vineyards have consistently produced great wines for over a half-century. In 2007 Mount Eden acquired an additional 55-acre wine estate in the Saratoga foothills, which was christened Domaine Eden. Opening a bottle, the color is a bright golden straw with aromas of stone and…

  • California,  Chardonnay,  Exceptional White,  Muscat,  Sauvignon Blanc,  Sonoma

    Exceptional White

    Orin Swift Mannequin 2015 Chardonnay The history of Orin Swift Cellars dates back to 1995 when on a lark, David Swift Phinney took a friend up on an offer and went to Florence, Italy to spend a semester “studying”. During that time, he was introduced to wine, how it was made, and got hooked. A few more years of university led to graduation and eventually a job at Robert Mondavi Winery in 1997 as a temporary harvest worker. Deciding that if he was going to work this hard, it would eventually have to be for himself, so in 1998 he founded Orin Swift Cellars; Orin is his father’s middle name…

  • Cellar Selection,  Champagne,  Chardonnay,  France

    Cellar Selection

    Franck Bonville Grand Cru Les Belles Voyes Blanc de Blancs N.V. Franck and his wife Jeannine after the second war commercialized the first bottles of champagne from a vineyard already connected on the lands of Avize and Oger for over twenty years. Today, Giles and his wife Ingrid Bonville, together with their son Olivier spend time tending to the operation of the winery, including updating and modernizing the facility. Their goal is to grow grapes of the highest quality and produce great wines which are fresh, delicate and elegant. If you read the label, you will see the words “Récoltant Manipulant” or “RM” on the bottle of Franck Bonville, which…

  • Cellar Selection,  Chardonnay,  France

    Cellar Selection

    Louis Latour Meursault 2013 The Louis Latour winery was the first purpose-built cuverie in France and remains the oldest still-functioning. A unique railway system with elevators allows the entire wine-making process to be achieved by the use of gravity. This eliminates the threat of oxidation from unnecessary pumping of the must. Situated just south of Volnay and Pommard in the Côte de Beaune, Meursault is the most extensive southerly white wine commune of the Côte-d’Or. The perfect south-easterly exposure and the stony, marl soil contribute greatly to the remarkable finesse of which the wines of Meursault are capable. Typical Meursault tend to be very full, mellow wines and mature somewhat…

  • California,  Chardonnay,  Exceptional White,  Sonoma

    Exceptional White

    Patz & Hall 2014 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay Patz & Hall was founded in 1988 by four individuals; Donald Patz, James Hall, Anne Moses and Heather Patz. Together, they have turned Patz & Hall into one of California’s most highly regarded wineries, with a celebrated portfolio of single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. I previously reviewed the 2011, 2012 & 2013 vintages of Dutton Ranch chardonnay and found the wines impressive, but the 2014 growing season was remarkable. Bright straw yellow with aromas of fresh fruit, stone fruits and citrus with floral notes. On the palate, the flavor was somewhat complex, full and rich with layered flavors of peach, green apple,…