One of the finest efforts I have tasted from Stonestreet is the 2001 Legacy, a 1,400-case blend 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. It boasts an opaque purple color in addition to a gorgeously intense bouquet of melted licorice, smoky barbeque aromas, black currant liqueur, road tar, and high class French oak. Sweet and expansive, with full-bodied flavors, and tremendous texture as well as depth, the wine's elevated tannin in the finish is largely buries under the extravagant richness and wealth of extract and glycerin. This is a beauty! Anticipated maturity: 2006-2020.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Sauvignon Blanc Aurora Point Vineyard dazzles with its energy and precision. Apricot, mint, peach, chamomile and dried flowers are beautifully delineated in a Sauvignon that is both focused and textured. Next to the Estate, the Aurora shows more of a stone fruit character and none of the grassier notes found in that wine.

Made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc from vineyards at 800 to 1,000 feet in elevation, the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc Aurora Point Vineyard was fermented and aged in a French oak foudre. It’s slightly fresher and more crisp compared to the estate release and has lots of lemon, white flowers, citrus rind, and a similar salinity. This medium-bodied, vibrant Sauvignon Blanc has terrific purity and will drink nicely for 4-5 years as well, if not longer.

Stonestreet's 2014 Sauvignon Blanc Aurora Point is one of the most distinctive wines in California. Exquisitely layered, aromatic and expressive, the 2014 offers exceptional balance and class. Candied lemon, sage, white flowers and mint are some of the many notes that grace this compelling, delicious wine.

The 2012 Sauvignon Blanc Aurora Point flows across the palate with striking depth and pure nuance. Everything falls into place in a beautifully layered white that stands out for its chiseled, perfumed personality. This is a fabulous showing from Graham Weerts.

Bright, pale yellow. Sexy aromas of pineapple, minerals, crushed stone, anise and caraway seed are accented by ineffable spicy high notes. Ripe and juicy, with seriously dense apple, crushed stone and menthol flavors cut by citrussy acidity. Impeccably balanced, intensely fruity wine with a long saline finish and terrific purity and verve.

Summer's end will bring the release of this remarkably complex California Chardonnay, with its layers of spicy, toasty, cedary oak and bounty of pretty pear, fig, apricot and citrus flavors that are long and lively on the finish.

..What classic North Coast chardonnay should be. The focus is on ripe varietal flavors, balance and careful use of excellent oak. It's medium-bodied and ready now.

Here Steve Test of Stone street defines what classic North Coast chardonnay should be. The focus is on excellent varietal flavors, balance and careful use of excellent oak. It's medium-bodied and ready now.

The 2017s From Sonoma The 2017 Chardonnay Broken Road Vineyard is slightly more reticent on the nose yet has notable purity of fruit as well as some salty minerality. Coming from vines planted in 1992 in the Alexander Valley, aged 11 months in 50% new French oak, it has medium to full-bodied richness, nicely integrated acidity, and solid balance. It’s another outstanding wine that will keep for 4-6 years or more.

Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond The 2017 Chardonnay Bear Point Vineyard is one of the more airy, weightless wines in the range. Lemon confit, white flowers, marzipan and apricot are front and center. Racy and pliant, with soft curves, the Bear Point will drink well right out of the gate.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases The 2016 Chardonnay Bear Point Vineyard was fermented in barrel and aged 11 months in 43% new French oak. It gives lovely ripe peaches, green guava, honeydew melon and cashew scents with hints of marzipan and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, the palate features a lovely satiny texture and bags of melon and stone fruit flavors, finishing on a spicy note.

The 2016 Chardonnay Bear Point Vineyard is another terrific wine from this estate. Barrel fermented and aged, with classic orchard fruits, lemon rind, honeysuckle, and white flowers, it has bright acidity, a rich, weight texture, and a clean finish. Slightly reserved and inward currently, give bottles a year and it should evolve gracefully for upwards of a decade.

Stonestreet produces single vineyard Chardonnay, which, when tasted side-by-side, are distinctly different. Whether the differences are worth the price differential is something for you and your banker to decide. Upper Barn Vineyard, at 1,800 ft elevation, must be an even cooler site because the wine is racier compared to the Bear Point Chardonnay. The balance of this wine, similar to Stonestreet’s other Chardonnays, is impeccable. There’s fruitiness, there’s freshness, there’s subtle creaminess. Nothing is out of place. There’s not a trace of heaviness or oakiness that plagued so many New World Chardonnays in the past. This is a stylish and elegant Chardonnay.

Powerful and inward, the 2016 Chardonnay Upper Barn Vineyard conveys an almost phenolic sense of structure that is more typical of a red wine. Savory and mineral notes dominate, while overt fruit is pushed into the background, in this structured, potent Chardonnay. Today, the Upper Barn is less expressive than some of the other wines in the range.

The 2016 Chardonnay Red Point is a wine of translucent energy. The lemon confit, white flower and mint notes are nicely defined in this attractive decidedly airy, almost ethereal Chardonnay. Delicate and understated, the Red Point speaks in hushed tones. It will be interesting to see if the wine opens up with a bit more time in bottle.

The 2016 Chardonnay Red Point comes from a steep block that covers roughly 300 feet in elevation and red, iron-rich soils. It's a richer, rounded, fleshy effort offering hints of tropical fruits, white flowers, and salty minerality. It's nicely textured, has integrated acidity, and a clean finish.

The 2016 Chardonnay Estate is a terrific introduction to the Stonestreet Chardonnays. Citrus, apricot, mint and a dash of new oak add nuance to this finely cut mountain Chardonnay. The Estate Chardonnay is another wine that delivers serious quality for the money. Silky and textured, the 2016 hits all the right notes. What a gorgeous wine it is.

The 2015 Chardonnay Broken Road Vineyard gives a gorgeous perfume of honeysuckle and peach blossoms with a core of apricots, cashews, baking bread and yeast extract. Medium-bodied, the palate reveals a satiny texture with savory nut and toasty layers complimenting the understated stone fruit, finishing on a yeasty note.

The 2015 Chardonnay Cougar Ridge offers lemon butter, candied ginger and beeswax notes over a core of green guava, pineapple and green mango. Medium-bodied, the palate has a wonderfully elegant, chalky nature, with a lovely silkiness to the texture and minerality on the finish.

The 2015 Chardonnay Gravel Bench is the most sumptuous and creamy of these wines. Rich and flamboyant, the 2015 exudes depth and personality. This is an especially unctuous style that works beautifully. The 100% new French oak is very nicely judged.

The 2014 Chardonnay Bear Point comes from a 1,000-foot elevation vineyard and its clonal origin is the Hyde-Wente selection. Loads of crisp pineapple notes intermixed with mango and tangerine oil jump from the glass of this full-bodied Chardonnay, which has terrific acidity and freshness. It should drink well for up to a decade.

Stonestreet's 2014 Chardonnay Cougar Ridge shows the super-distinctive, phenolic quality that makes these wines so unique. Dense and oily on the palate, with plenty of textural intensity, the 2014 is built on power, energy and volume. This is an especially imposing Chardonnay, but it works.

Lemon peel, white pepper, flowers and mint are all found in the 2013 Chardonnay Upper Barn. Next to the other wines in the range, the Upper Barn comes across as a bit compact, but it is quite pretty and expressive just the same. The Upper Barn emerges from one of the higher blocks on the property.

The 2013 Upper Barn, a vineyard that Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer made famous, spends 11 months in 49% new French oak and is fermented with indigenous yeasts. This is all Old Wente clone material, planted in 1982, so it’s among the older Chardonnay vineyards in Northern California. This wine always seems to have great acidity and loads of orange blossom, marmalade, honeysuckle and lemon blossom characteristics. The 2013 Upper Barn Vineyard (963 cases) is a beauty and certainly one of my favorites of this group.