Kendall-Jackson's 2015 Chardonnay Stature is plush, tropical and opulent, with quite a bit of textural depth and intensity. A wine of volume and breadth, the 2015 hits all the right notes. Floral overtones add nuance to the yellow orchard and lightly tropical flavors.
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The 2014 Stature is the most complete Chardonnay in this range. Apricot jam, butter, spice and sweet French oak fill out the wine's ample frame. All the elements meld together effortlessly. Overt and voluptuous, the Stature is likely to be most appreciated by readers who enjoy racy, textured Chardonnays.
Attractive tropical fruit and freshly buttered bread on the nose of this full-bodied Californian Chardonnay. The palate of this rich white wine opens up with green apple and melon. This big Californian Chardonnay has a golden-yellow tint in the glass. Aromas of ripe orchard fruit and toasty oak. Generous, layered and delicious! Pair this with roast turkey or chicken. Highly recommended.
Whatever the Jackson family does in Santa Maria works quite well, including this wine. The wondrous nose shows chives, exotic pears, mandarin pith, sesame seeds, a touch of smoke and chalky grip. On the palate, flavors recall fried green apple peels, lemon juice, quince, star fruit and lemon pith.
Attractive tropical fruit and freshly buttered bread on the nose of this full-bodied Californian Chardonnay. The palate of this rich white wine opens up with green apple and melon. Generous, layered and delicious! Pair this with roast turkey or chicken. Highly recommended.
The exotic 2013 Chardonnay Jackson Estate Arroyo Seco sees 100% French oak, of which 50% is new, and comes from Clone 809. One could swear there was some Viognier cofermented with this Chardonnay. While tasting this wine, we were joking that it is a pornographic style of Chardonnay, because of its exotic, ostentatious aromatics of honeysuckle, spring flowers, pineapple, orange marmalade and lychee. It’s rich, ripe, medium to full-bodied and probably a love-it or leave-it style. But I love it. Drink it over the next 1-2 years.
Butterscotch and baked bread on the nose of this inviting, robust Californian Chardonnay. The palate of this rich white wine opens up with green apple and melon. Full-bodied, generous and delicious! Pair this with roast chicken.
From a cooler climate and gravelly soils, the 2012 Chardonnay Jackson Estate Camelot Highlands comes from 40-year-old, ungrafted vines, is 100% barrel-fermented and aged eight months in 52% new French oak. Abundant aromas of tropical fruits, an opulent, exotic personality, huge richness, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, good acidity and surprising length suggest a Chardonnay that could easily sell at twice the price. There are just over 4,300 cases of this wine. It should drink well for 4-5 years.
A very rich Chardonnay that's creamy and smooth in the mouth. A touch of oak and lees gives weight and density to the lime and peach fruit, while brisk acidity contributes to brightness. A great price for wine of this distinction.
Butterscotch and baked bread on the nose of this inviting, robust white. The palate opens up with green apple and melon. Full-bodied, generous and delicious!
Very fine Chardonnay, marked by brisk, racy acidity and a steely tang to the lemon, lime, white peach and honeysuckle flavors. Very complex and lively, an alluring wine that will take a few years in the bottle.
A stunning effort is the more limited production 2009 Chardonnay Jackson Hills from Santa Barbara. From hillside Chardonnay vineyards, this beauty offers plenty of tropical fruit, honeysuckle, peach and pineapple notes along with a medium to full-bodied, elegant yet authoritative personality. Kendall-Jackson enjoys a well-deserved reputation for over-delivering quality vis à vis price for its wines.
A beautiful, racy Chardonnay, with a streamlined structure that could almost be a fine, barrel-aged Sauvignon Blanc. It's marked by mouthwatering acidity, with savory lemongrass, hay, vanilla and white pepper flavors. First class and elegant as a cocktail sipper.
Combines rich, vibrant acidity with fruity intensity in a very clean, opulent wine. Offers waves of tropical fruits, honeysuckle, buttered toast and minerals, with a long, spicy finish. The extensive new oak is perfectly in keeping with the size of this crowd-pleaser.
In total contrast, minerality, lemon zest,crushed rock, white currants, and stone fruits dominate the crisp 2008 Highland Estates Chardonnay Seco Highlands. This is a far more mineral-dominated wine,but it's not lacking fruit, given the strong white peach notes that come through in this wine's aromatic profile. Drink between now and 2012.
You'll find lovely floral notes to this wine that make it almost Alsatian. But it's Chardonnay all the way, with rich, complex flavors of peaches and tropical fruits and rich creamy texture. New oak adds lush notes of buttered toast and spices.
The 2006 Chardonnay Camelot Highlands Estates from the Santa Maria Valley is a stunning Chardonnay with light gold color and a gorgeous nose of honeyed tropical fruits intermixed with hints of hazelnut and subtle oak. The wine is fleshy, rich, pure, and a total delight to drink. It should be consumed over the next 2-3 years.
What a great Chard. Just delicious in palate-filling tropical fruit, buttercream, pineapple jam, honeysuckle, vanilla custard and spice flavors that are so rich and refined. For all the opulence, the wine is dry, with the firm acidity the Arroyo Seco is known for.
The single vineyard Chardonnays include the 2005 Highland Estates Chardonnay Camelot Vineyard, which comes from the Santa Maria Valley. Its complex aromatic profile includes scents of tropical fruits (pineapple), spice, and brioche. This well-made, medium to full-bodied effort reminds me of a classic premier cru Meursault in its smoky, earthy, ripe fruit notes. Drink this beauty over the next 2-3 years.
A little softer than Kendall-Jackson's Camelot Highlands, but no less delicious, with similar lemon drop and custard flavors and a tinge of sweet, ripe pear. The mouthfeel is round, creamy and full-bodied, with a complex veneer of toasty oak.
Here's an intense, nervy wine, brilliantly acidic, layered and rich. It has enormous lemondrop, mango and pineapple flavors and lots of smoky, vanilla-accented new oaky notes, and is creamy in the mouth. The finish is long, lush and spicy. This is a real palate flatterer.
Boasts lovely notes of tropical fruits and orange marmalade offered in a medium to full-bodied, lush, exotic style. It is an impressive, crowd-pleasing Chardonnay to enjoy over the next 1-2 years.
A rich, unctuous, almost syrupy style, deeply concentrated and packed with exotic fruit and fancy oak barrel flavors. Lots of tropical fruit, pineapple, pear and honeysuckle flavors have a wonderful perfumed character, finishing with a gush of juicy flavors. Drink now through 2007.