CHARDONNAY
97 Flowers 2021 Camp Meeting Ridge Estate Bottled Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast). Vibrant fruit flavors fill out a creamy texture in this super well-balanced wine, offering toast, pineapple and butter aromas, then poached pear, lemon zest and almond croissant flavors on the palate. The combination of lively acidity and generous flavors is quite compelling. Best 2025–2032. Cellar Selection. —J.G.
abv: 13.5% Price: $90
96 Kosta Browne 2020 Bootlegger’s Hill Chardonnay (Russian River Valley). This smooth, harmonious wine from a cool site near the Pacific Ocean offers a seamless blend of poached pears and golden apples, lightly accented by vanilla, toast and butter nuances that weave through the flavors and linger on the finish. —J.G.
abv: 13.6% Price: $170
95 DuMOL 2021 Chloe Chardonnay (Russian River Valley). Balanced to a T, this fascinating wine matches ripe and rich poached pear and golden apple flavors with a vein of lemony acidity that keeps it refreshing sip after sip. It’s medium to full in body. Best through 2030. —J.G.
abv: 14.1% Price: $75
95 DuMOL 2021 Wester Reach Chardonnay (Russian River Valley). Elegant, silky and well-balanced, this medium-bodied wine backs bright citrus and baked apple flavors with good acidity for a tangy touch that counters the generous fruit components. Aged in 30% new French barrels, it will drink best through 2030. Cellar Selection. —J.G.
abv: 14.1% Price: $70
95 Flowers 2021 Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast). This smooth, harmonious, silky wine offers a seamless mélange of apples, peaches, almonds and vanilla on a medium body, while subtle acidity persists on the palate and helps the fruit flavors echo on the finish. In a nutshell, it is rich but very well-balanced. —J.G.
abv: 13.5% Price: $55
94 Blue Farm 2020 Laceroni Vineyard Estate Farmed Chardonnay (Russian River Valley). This nicely layered and creamy wine comes off fruity at first sniff, with crisp apples and white cherries, then eases into butter and toasted almond flavors on a silky texture. Crisp acidity lurks in the background, adding freshness to the mouthfeel. —J.G.
abv: 13.8% Price: $75
Melon rind, citrus pith and
