Wine & Spirits - October 2020 - 42

YEAR'S BEST CALIFORNIA CHARDONNAYS
cal fruit and phenolic grip, this has enough
acidity and structure to balance its ripeness;
for afternoon sipping on the patio. -P.J.C.
(2,000 cases) §
520907

88 | Le P'tit Paysan

$22

87 | Golden

$13

SANTA BARBARA CO UNT Y

ARROYO SECO

2018 Monterey County Jack's Hill Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ Jack's Hill lies directly
in line with the Monterey Bay and its fierce
winds, and this cool, tense and saline wine
doesn't let you forget it. It tastes of apple skin
and lemon zest, with a dusty tang of minerals. An oyster chardonnay. -P.J.C. (2,150
cases) §
520900
2019 Monterey Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^
With scents of pear nectar and a fresh apple
sweetness, this is full flavored and juicy; pour
it for a picnic. -P.J.C. (2,000 cases) §
520905

87 | Hess Select

$12

2018 Monterey County Chardonnay (Best
Buy) ^ Apple and pear fruit lead the charge in
this generous white; it's got a buttercream
richness, with a mildly bitter phenolic tang.
-P.J.C. §

520870

90 | J. Lohr

$25

2018 Arroyo Seco Arroyo Vista Chardonnay ^ J. Lohr's Arroyo Vista vineyard is sunny
but windswept, and the wind seems to cut
into the warmth of this wine. It smells of
warm apples and sweetened milk, forward
and powerful, and yet the texture seems to
compress all that opulence, the caramel and
cinnamon notes staying with the fruit, balancing the richness. -P.J.C. §

520868

89 | Cru

520901

87 | William Wright

$12

2018 Monterey Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^
Scents of pear turn nectar-rich in this lowacid white from Monterey. Its flavors are
thick as papaya; ice it down for a warm afternoon. -P.J.C. §

S A N TA L U C I A H I G H L A N D S
520925

93 | I. Brand

$30

2018 Santa Lucia Highlands Escolle
Vineyard Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ Tightly
wound when first uncorked, this wine is all
lemon peel and lees. Then, when it relaxes,
it's like an exposed live wire, electric and lean.
You can feel the tension in its mouthwatering
energy, in its graceful lines and precise, mineral finish. It's a whisper-clean performance
for bracingly fresh fish, like rainbow trout
fresh out of the stream. -P.J.C. (250 cases) §

42

WINE & SPIRITS

OCTOBER 2020

$20

2018 Arroyo Seco Unoaked Chardonnay
(Best Buy) ^ Vinified without oak, this flavorful chardonnay has a pronounced spiciness, the fruit almost like gewurztraminer in
its flower-petal grip and rich exuberance. It
would serve a Chinese feast nicely, especially
dishes like cod and mustard greens. -P.J.C.
(609 cases) §
520866

88 | Hahn

$20

2018 Arroyo Seco Estate Chardonnay
(Best Buy) ^ Tropical in its scents of guava
and pineapple-with a dollop of quince to
boot-this has a dash of citrus on the finish that firms up the flavors and reins in the
lactic sweetness. A lot of flavor for the price.
-P.J.C. (819 cases) §
520865

87 | 7 Cellars

$18

2018 Arroyo Seco The Farm Collection
Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ Pleasantly lemony
when first poured, this tastes of rose and
melon, with a glycerin richness; for pork loin.
-P.J.C. (1,350 cases) §

520921

94 | Chanin

$35

90 | Qupé

$22

89 | Nielson

$16

88 | St. Huberts

$17

2018 Santa Barbara County Los Alamos Vineyard Chardonnay ^ Tasting Gavin
Chanin's majestic chardonnay bottling from
Los Alamos is like standing on a hilltop in
that vineyard and letting the sea spray imperceptibly coat your lips. Beneath the cinnamon spice and the citrus brightness is a kind
of bracing, briny green sensation, reminding one taster of agretti, the salty springtime
green that finds its way into Italian salads.
The wine is bracing and delicious, with the
structure to age ten years or more. -P.J.C.
(571 cases) §
520920
2018 Santa Barbara County Y Block Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ The richness of oak leads
in this classic from Qupé, bolstering brisk
and crisp apple and lime scents. The oak contributes a broad vanilla flavor, adorning pear
and apple flavors. Cellar. -P.J.C. §
520919
2018 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay
(Best Buy) ^ Salty and lean, with a sea-wrack
scent and lemon-lime flavors framed by
nutty lees notes, this is chalky and brisk, well
put together for char-grilled chicken. -P.J.C. §
520918
2019 Santa Barbara County The Stag
Chardonnay (Best Buy) ^ Simple and easy
drinking, with juicy apple and Meyer lemon
flavors, this wine's honeyed apple flavor is
marked by a mild, floral phenolic bite. Pair
it with mild cheeses. -P.J.C. §
https://www.jlohr.com/wines/2018-arroyo-vista-chardonnay https://www.chaninwine.com/wine https://www.cruwinery.com/shop/2017-cru-chardonnay-unoaked/ https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/william+wright+premium+hand+select+chard+monterey+county+central+coast+california+usa/2018
Wine & Spirits - October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - October 2020
