Wine & Spirits - October 2019 - 54

YEAR'S BEST US CHARDONNAYS
90 | Bergström

$40

2017 Willamette Valley Old Stones Chardonnay ^ Nutty and bright, with a salty tang
and assertive citrus scents, this has surprising breadth and fleshiness despite its lemonlime and green-apple flavors. It would make
a good match with linguini and clams. (850
cases) -P.J.C.
517857

90 | Johan

$33

2016 Willamette Valley Visdom Chardonnay ^ Aged 20 months in oak barrels and bottled with a small amount of fine lees, this has
a compelling, mouthwatering sourness, like
lemon kombucha, that would pair well with
chicken sausage. (95 cases) -P.J.C.
516772

90 | Lavinea

$45

2016 Yamhill-Carlton Lazy River Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Leading with scents of
roasted nuts and golden apple, this wine is
hemmed in by oak, though the sunniness
of the 2016 vintage bursts through that oak
frame with time in the glass. This needs six
months or more in the cellar. (W&S 8/19;
220 cases)-P.J.C.
517949

90 | Resonance

$50

2017 McMinnville Hyland Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Brisk lemon-curd flavors take on a
nutty, leesy resolve after a day of air. There's
plenty of oak in this wine's firm, high-walled
structure, needing some time to meld; cellar.
(250 cases) -P.J.C.
517626

90 | Torii Mor

$35

2016 Willamette Valley Chardonnay ^ This
tiny-production chardonnay has a nutty
lees scent supporting broad, bright pear
and apple flavors. The texture is plush and
creamy, as rich as crème brûlée; for a white
pizza. (80 cases) -P.J.C.
517461

90 | Trisaetum

$49

2017 Yamhill-Carlton Coast Range Estate
Chardonnay ^ From a vineyard on the cool
Coast Range, this manages to express warm,
generous flavors of white peach and pear,
with a graham-cracker oak component complementing its creamy texture. It's all baby
fat at the moment; cellar. (100 cases) -P.J.C.
515034

90 | Willamette Valley
Vineyards

$45

2016 Willamette Valley Bernau Block
Chardonnay ^ The Bernau Block was the first
parcel planted on WVV's estate vineyard,
in the early 1990s. Those vines produced a
savory chardonnay in 2016, with scents of
hazelnuts, dried apples and lees. The flavors are lean and angular, with a lemon54

WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2019

pith bite for roast halibut. (W&S 2/19; 396
cases)-P.J.C.
517475

90 | Yamhill Valley

$25

89 | Willamette Valley
Vineyards

$25

87 | Chehalem

$20

87 | Sokol Blosser

$17

2017 McMinnville Estate Chardonnay
(Best Buy) ^ Smoky and a touch caramelly, this
supple chardonnay has tarte-tatin scents and
a nutty savor that dovetails nicely with the
generously round texture, and just enough
acidity to bring a mouthwatering close. Chill
it to pour it as an aperitif. -P.J.C.
517617
515961

2016 Willamette Valley Dijon Clone Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ Scents of lemon-lime
and nutty lees don't prepare you for this
wine's explosion of fruit flavor, a plump array
of pear, peach, melon and apple framed by
nutty bread-crust notes. (1,872 cases) -P.J.C.
517896
2018 Willamette Valley Inox Unoaked
Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ Simple and bright,
with apple and peach flavors, this is built to
be chilled down for lunch or a midweek dinner of lemon sole. (4,680 cases) -P.J.C.
517423
2017 Willamette Valley Evolution Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ Tropical scents of guava
and lime give a juicy fruit impression in this
wine, a tart, well-made chardonnay for the
price. (625 cases) -P.J.C.

WA SHINGTON
517233

90 | Buty

$42

90 | Canoe Ridge

$22

2017 Columbia Valley Conner Lee Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Savory and broad, with
a scent of toasted nuts and caramel, this
wine is firm, its golden-apple flavors focused
more by lees and caramelly oak than by acidity, built for roast chicken. (W&S 8/19; 70
cases)-P.J.C.
517796

90 | Chateau Ste. Michelle

$20

90 | Dusted Valley

$36

89 | Chateau Ste. Michelle

$11

88 | Drum Roll

$16

2016 Horse Heaven Hills Canoe Ridge
Estate Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ This is lean
and finely tuned for spring sipping, with
scents of bread crust and lemon-spritzed
apple lifting its pineapple flavors. (W&S
4/19)-P.J.C.
517630
2017 Yakima Valley Olsen Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Fresh, focused and warm, this generous chardonnay has crowd-pleasing buttery
pear flavors, and the freshness and precision
to gulp without reserve. (800 cases) -P.J.C.
518010
2017 Columbia Valley Chardonnay (Best
Buy) ^ With aromas of warm pineapple and
golden apple, this feels broad and enveloping, with enough brisk acidity to carry the
weight and ripeness.-P.J.C.
517503
2017 Columbia Valley Monet Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ With plenty of freshness and
lift, this is a simple, apple-scented white for
chilled prawns. (220 cases) -P.J.C.

2017 Horse Heaven Hills Reserve Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ Irresistible in its clean
lines and leesy salinity, this has the feel and
flavor of the Pacific Northwest, cool and
coniferous, with the nerve to pour for a shellfish feast. (2,840 cases) -P.J.C.
517834

88 | Good Measure

$17

2017 Columbia Valley Chardonnay (Best
Buy) ^ Scents of marzipan and spiced apple
lead in this bright, unoaked chardonnay
from the Ancient Lakes and Wahluke Slope.
With its crunchy acidity, it's perfect to crush
on a warm afternoon. (1,000 cases) -P.J.C. n
https://www.ste-michelle.com/our-wines https://www.craftedbrands.com/portfolio/good-measure-wines/
Wine & Spirits - October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - October 2019
