The 2017s From Sonoma Moving to the Chardonnays, the 2017 Chardonnay Estate was fermented and aged 11 months in 33% new French oak. It’s a clean and crisp, with terrific notes of stone fruits, brioche, and white flowers. Possessing medium to full body, ample pure fruit, and a balanced style, drink it over the coming 4-5 years.

Compared to their regular (multi-vineyard blend) Chardonnay, the one from Bear Point Vineyard has better density and is more elegant. Although the concentration is what’s immediately noticeable, its elegance, especially in the finish, is what sticks in your mind. Judicious oak aging adds a subtle creaminess to its citrus-tinged flavors, making it a good choice for chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce.

Refined and rich-tasting, with plenty of minerality to the apple, pear and quince paste flavors. Buttery hints show midpalate, leading to a finish that unfolds with lemon curd and dried tarragon details.

Here is deep and well-stuffed Chardonnay that pulls out all the stops but has more than enough very precise focused, optimally ripened fruit to balance its liberal appointment of sweet oak and lees. It is a complete and decidedly complex rendition of great breadth and obvious ambition, but it is also very carefully structured and built to impress even more if allowed to rest in the cellar for another couple of years. There is most assuredly no need to hurry here. 2 stars.

Vibrant minerality meets crisp white fruit flavors, with dried savory notes midpalate. The resonant finish offers citrus zest and chamomile accents.

Sensuously fragrant, this Chardonnay also delivers a delicious taste experience. The fruit, influenced by citric notes lightly seasoned with oak, is anchored by just enough acidity and a hint of stony minerals. The texture is medium-full and the finish is very satisfying.

USA, California, Northern California: Napa & Some Sonoma New Releases Fermented in barrel and aged 11 months in 36% new French oak, the 2016 Chardonnay Estate has a ripe apple, peach blossom, poached pears and nutmeg-scented nose with a waft of beeswax. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is satisfyingly savory with plenty of citrus and mineral accents and a long spicy finish.

This light yellow colored Chardonnay from Stonestreet is very good. It opens with a light vanilla oak and gentle pineapple bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, nicely balanced, soft and smooth. The flavor profile is similar to the nose, with a gentle vanilla cream and pineapple blend. I also detected hints of Anjou pear, lemon and a touch of minerality. The finish is dry and fades away nicely. This finesse Chard is extremely food friendly. I would pair it with oven roasted crab stuffed Alaska halibut.

The 2016 Chardonnay Estate is another wine sourced from higher elevation sites and was barrel fermented and aged. It offers a classic style in its baked apples, spice, honeycomb, and marzipan profile. Deep, medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, and textured, it’s a class act and should keep for 4-6 years.

The 2015 Chardonnay Broken Road is broad, ample and creamy. A classic wine from the estate, the 2015 is built on texture. Tropical fruit, dried apricot, butter and hazelnut are some of the signatures.

The 2015 Chardonnay Upper Barn is lifted, airy and gracious, with expressive floral notes that add freshness. Melon, orchard fruit, white pepper and mint all add an attractive aromatic upper register. This is an especially weightless style for Stonestreet.

The 2014 Chardonnay Broken Road is deep, pliant and wonderfully expressive. Pear, brioche, butter, mint, vanilla and dried apricot flesh out in an effortless, creamy Chardonnay. The Broken Road is one of the more open-knit Chardonnays in the lineup in 2014. It should drink well with minimal cellaring.

The 2014 Chardonnay Bear Point is an intense, inward wine. Lemon peel, white flowers, peach, brioche and slate are all beautifully delineated in the glass. The 2014 could use another year or two in bottle to flesh out a bit further, but it is striking, even today.

From vineyards at 400 to 1,800 feet in elevation, this wine opens with an intensely aromatic nose of honey and caramel. Sultry and seductive, with full-bodied fruit concentration, it emanates spicy fig, pear and quince, finishing bright with stony minerality.

The 2014 Stonestreet Estate Chardonnay is superb, with plenty of white peach and poached pear notes, beautiful purity, a lusty, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, subtle French oak, and terrific fruit and honeysuckle. Drink it over the next 5-7 years.

Bright and smooth with lush pear fruit and vanilla oak; fresh and graceful with silky texture and lovely balance; long and elegant.

Stonestreet's 2013 Estate Chardonnay is fabulous. Apricot pit, butter, spices, wild flowers and honey meld together in a Chardonnay endowed with fabulous balance and tons of personality. The style is rich, resonant and racy; in other words classic Stonestreet. In 2013, the Estate Chardonnay is particularly of note.

Bright, light yellow. Sexy, slightly high-toned aromas of pineapple, mirabelle, orange zest and spices, plus a hint of caramel oak. Rich, bright and dry, with flavors similar to the aromas. Conveys an impression of density without weight. Not hugely complex but concentrated and seamless. The long finish features notes of sweet pineapple and licorice.

Always the most intensely mineral, pointed Chardonnay in the range, the 2012 Chardonnay Gravel Bench is laced with crushed rocks, lemon oil, mint, flowers and slate. There is no shortage of personality or character in the glass. This is the only Chardonnay aged entirely in 100% new French oak barrels, all of which the wine handles gracefully.

Even though this Chardonnay has rich, ripe flavors of tropical fruit, peaches, apples and honey, it possesses an austere elegance by virtue of dryness, minerality and acidity. The blocks from which the grapes were grown are part of Stonestreet's holdings in the mountains overlooking Alexander Valley. This is a fine wine, intricate and powerful.

A big, vital, complex wine whose multiple layers reveal themselves as it warms and airs in the glass. With a smooth, creamy texture and just enough acidity for balance, it’s rich in apricot-and orange-jam flavors. The finish lingers, with honey and vanilla accents.

This is one of the more complex Chardonnays you are likely to find in the Alexander Valley, which is typically suited for grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon that thrive in a warm climate. Chardonnay works there, too, especially when the vines are planted at a bit of elevation. The Bear Point vineyard block is situated at about 1000 feet above sea level and the fruit from this source speaks to the veracity of the vineyard site. This vintage exhibits a floral nose with hints of lemon oil and baking spice. On the palate the wine is expansive, opulent and layered without losing its elegance. I wouldn't want to age this wine past the 5-to-7-year mark, but for drinking now and over the next few years it's a stunningly delicious wine for any occasion that calls for Chardonnay.

The minerality in this wine is showcased through notes of granite that give a firm kick to the ripe apricots, citrus, tropical fruit and honeysuckle that make it so gorgeous. Drink now with fare such as lobster, tuna or scallops.

Crisp acidity and a fine minerality give this wine an elegant, clean mouthfeel. Flavor-wise, it’s rich in pineapple and sour lemon candy, with hints of pepper and papaya. Honeyed tones unfold on the midpalate, but the finish is dry. Drink now–2016.

Orange blossoms, nectarines, white flowers and honey all flesh out in the 2011 Chardonnay Bear Point. Another wine that manages to be both rich but not ponderous, the 2011 Bear Point blossoms in all directions as the fruit opens up in the glass. A creamy, highly expressive finish rounds things out in style. The Bear Point is made from the Peter Michael Chardonnay clone, which is believed to have originated on this property! Anticipated maturity: 2014-2018.