Delicate violet scents and the suggestion of lots of fruit to come on the palate. A little sweet with a suggestion of raspberry jam. Gently made with the finest of tannins, but I wouldn't mind just a tiny bit more freshness. The wine is impressively persistent.

Ripe pear juice on the nose. Much richer than the Applejack and Wombat Creek 2021 bottlings, although there is some citrus acidity on the finish. A little bit of a putty/linseed aroma too. Quite a bit of chewiness on the end. Just a little hard on the finish at this point.

Warm spices and plenty of sweet strawberries with a squeeze of ripe orange, florals and mace. Barely-there tannins. Lifted, lilted acidity. Juicy charm. A wine for right now.

Pale garnet verging on ruby. Pale rim. A bit more meaty and savoury than the Primavera Vineyard Pinot on the nose. Light and fresh with definite sweetness, as well as the vegy savour, but more refreshing than the Primavera and with a nice lick of light tannins. Delicate texture. It tastes as though it were made with kid gloves. A definite success.

Pale greenish straw. Really very fine, alluring fruit with no shortage of acidity but a definite suggestion of creaminess. Very little obvious oak and quite enough fruit (not acid water) but the acidity will presumably always be high. Lemon is the dominant flavour. Fresh as a daisy.

Green and luscious nose with more breadth than the Applejack Chardonnay 2021. Definitely softer than the Applejack, even though the vineyard is higher – a soil effect? Floral notes. It would be easy to drink this without food. Quite long. Absolutely ready with an undertow of sweet lime. Really very fine and appealing. Great balance.

Complete nose with both minerals and citrus notes plus a hint of apple blossom. Still quite youthful but very promising. Markedly persistent with marked acidity but no shortage of fruit. Not austere but very far from fat. Neat and quite delicate. Fans out on the finish. They must be very pleased with this wine, from a hugely successful vintage.

Healthy mid garnet colour. Real texture and muscle to this wine, though still with delicate fruit and very fine tannins, that are more evident than in its two stablemate single-vineyard 2021 Pinots. Hedgerow flavours and an attractively dry finish. Relatively complex, though attractively light and fruity.

Citrus aromas and white peach flavors with a bit of salinity characterize this austere and sleek chardonnay.

Just Getting Into Wine? These Are The Best Wines To Get You Started
A Chardonnay You Must Try—Diatom Santa Barbara County, 2021: Crafted by Greg Brewer, one of Santa Barbara’s most talented winemakers, this wine walks the challenging line between opulent and silky and fresh and pure. Brewer’s juicy, tropical and focused chardonnay is an unvarnished reflection of Santa Barbara terroir and climate. Spectacular, and only $27.

The flagship chardonnay of this Santa Maria Valley producer is another great value in chardonnay. Barrel fermented, it has big oak flavors with hints of vanilla, caramel, and crème brulee. On the palate, there are ripe apple notes and a hint of citrus.

My guide to the bet Australian chardonnay
...while Giant Steps from the Yarra Valley, also wild fermented, spends even less time in oak; check out the juicy melon and pineapple fruit of the 2021 Giant Steps Chardonnay but with saline bite and grip too.

Medium straw-gold color; yellow apple, lemon, white peach, clove, white flowers on light nose; yellow apple, pear, pineapple, honeydew melon, Meyer lemon, hint of butter, oak, and vanilla on the palate.
Dry; soft tannins. Light-medium body. Good but not racy acidity. Subtle oak notes from 10 months in French oak, 25% new. Round, smooth, easygoing, easy-drinking pleasure.

The aromas offer notes of rose petal, red cherry – bark, fruit and blossom – which carry into the palate alongside earthy accents, hints of mushroom, and a good balance of fruit to freshness, depth to length. The use of new oak is lightened here compared to previous vintages and to good effect. The wine comes in a good balance of pleasure and length. It is mouth-watering and silken. The Jolie is a Pinot that is both smart and crowd-pleasing.

Notes of anise and freshly cracked pine carry the nose while the palate shifts to a mix of blue and black berries and a bit of violet candy. The palate is silken and a bit warming. This is a richer expression of Pinot built for those wanting a fuller mouthfeel and flavour from the variety. At the same time, it continues to carry the more lifted palate and slightly elevated acidity of the region.

Allow plenty of air upon opening as the aromas start out quite subtle but open to reveal citrus zest accenting a forest of berries, dried pine and fresh mushroom. The palate is a bit reductive, but it weaves into the savoury mushroom notes to create an earthier, deeper-toned expression of Pinot and does open up with air. The tannin is very fine grained and is in good balance with lengthy acidity. This wine will do best with a meal of savoury vegetable dishes and even grilled fish.

Creamy pear lightly spiced opens the aromas, followed in the palate by a squeeze of lemon, warming woodsy notes and a sandstone-mineral crunch. There is a lot of length here, a lightly tactile palate and a balance of lengthy fresh acidity and savoury depth. This is a newer take on California Chardonnay that breaks the old stereotype for the style and instead delivers a more savoury focus with mouth-watering flavour.

Ripe pear and hints of peach open the nose followed by a squeeze of lemon. The palate shifts to baked orchard fruits sprinkled with warming spices. There is a lightly grippy mouthfeel of crushed sandstone that carries through a long finish. The mouth-watering quality balances the full flavour of the wine. The character feels classic to the region though entirely counter to the California stereotype. Savoury, fresh, mouth-watering with lots of length. There is a bit more mid-palate concentration here compared with Copain’s Skycrest Chardonnay.

A mix of tropical yellow fruits on the nose shifts to spiced pear and warm red apple on the palate. The fruits are mouth-watering and juicy though the wine overall is savoury with
warming spices. The flavours here offer riper fruits relative to the region, though nothing near tropical, but the lighter weight of the palate means the wine retains a mouthwatering
focus and a lot of length. This would do well with a meal of white fish and summer foods picked in season.

This last chardonnay brings together many of the flavors from the first two wines. Citrus-like flavors and aromas share the stage with hints of butter, sea salt, oak and lemon. And the other two wines, the flavors here are smooth and mellow. There’s nothing over the top. Instead, the wine communicates its depth and complexity in a whisper.

Penner-Ash is probably best known for its complex, powerful Pinot Noir wines. Its chardonnay’s just as impressive. Layers of flavors range from hints of oak and toasted butter to a dash of sea salt and grilled lemon. Everything about this wine is more subtle and intense. You can clearly taste the mist that often lingers in many vineyards in the Willamette Valley, giving this wine an air of mystery. An exciting, energetic wine with a distinct personality.

Gran Moraine winery’s located on the western edge of the Yamhill-Carlton subregion in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. You may remember reading a few years ago about this winery’s sparkling wine. This chardonnay’s equally memorable. Its flavors range from lemon and sea salt to hints of melted butter. Allow the chilled wine to slowly warm up in the glass and you’ll notice that the lemon, sea salt and butter flavors become brighter, livelier and even more refreshing. A superb wine from start to finish.

Father’s Day Gift Guide: Rosé Wines
If your papa loves a plate of charcuterie, then Kendall-Jackson 2021 Vintner’s Reserve Rosé would be a great wine to pair. With aromas of watermelon and apricot, this wine lends itself to cured meats, making it a Father’s Day match.

Eleven years on, the wine is still fresh with bright fruit and focused acidity. Complex layers of aroma and flavor have evolved, with loam and pencil shavings emerging under berry liqueur and dark chocolate. Ripe but elegantly firm tannins give structure to spicy black raspberry and cherry, and mountain intensity carries through a lingering finish.
That structure and intensity are honestly earned, from the historic vineyard’s location above the fog line on Howell Mountain (small berries, thicker skins), making this Merlot a delicious argument that not only can the wine be great, it can age with the best of them.

Bouquet and flavor of spicy berries, pomegranate, brown baking spices, and toasted nuts in the aftertaste.