chardonnay – Page 2

MORE MACONNAIS MAGIC FROM TROUILLET-LEBEAU

This is one of three different wines we have talked about from this impressive new producer (to us anyway)in a very short time, There has been a lot of news about this part of Burgundy of late with the initiating of a series of first ever Premier Cru designations for Pouilly. All of that is well and good, but finding a new source like Trouillet-Lebeau is much more relevant for us. You can’t drink titles.

It is composed of vines in six villages that average 40-50-years-old planted in classic clay-limestone soils: Soluté-Pouilly, Fuissé, Loché, Vinzelles, Leynes, and Davayé. The vines are grown sustainably, and tilling is largely carried out to encourage underground soil life and root development to obtain the richness and minerality required for the highest quality wines. In the cellar, grapes are pressed gently using a pneumatic press and decanted rigorously for 24 hours, in order to obtain clear, pure grape juice. All vintages are vinified in oak vats, large barrels or casks from Burgundy, fully respecting the required cool temperatures in order to maintain all of the freshness and finesse of Chardonnay.

The Trouillet-Lebeau Saint Veran les Condemines 2019, as with all of the Trouillet-Lebeau wines we have been presented thus for, has an uncommon depth and richness and distinctive styling for the category. As Saint-Verans go, this one is much more fleshy and fruit driven than the typical examples. From 70-year-old vines in this single vineyard, there is a captivating generosity to this wine and a rather lush texture supported by just enough acidity. Not having had this bottling before, we have no idea how the warm 2019 vintage plays into the whole personality of this wine, but we like the result.

The nose has peach, apple, floral and slightly honeyed tones. In the mouth, the fruit is tender and round and delivers all that the nose promises with a nice little kick of unctuous fruit and acidity at the end. One might suggest there is an almost New World feel to this wine, but the subtle minerality and the way this gentle fruit manifests gives away its Burgundian origins. A very compelling effort, particularly for the price, as we have been saying this is a house to watch.

NEW PARKER RELEASES DEFINITELY NOT ‘OLD HAT’

Some of us are old enough to remember back in the beginning, when the first editions of this new (at the time) project from actor/real estate tycoon Fess Parker hit the market. Some of us even saw the original Disney versions of Davey Crockett and the Alamo on television. Somehow, given Fess’s history, those early labels with the small ‘coonskin’ cap were both familiar and comforting, and the wines from this emerging Santa Barbara/Santa Maria area source were solid go-to wines. The winery still uses Fess as the ‘front man’ on their website even though he has been gone since 2010. That’s the kind of unique persona on which the brand was founded.

Like a number of wineries, Fess Parker had their ups and downs over the years. They were always a viable choice, but perhaps never really emerged from the pack as far as reputation. They had the occasional ‘hit’ (we had a nice little run with their ‘Prisoner’ look-alike Big Easy a while back), but in general they were a solid, dependable, but arguably yeoman choice. Current winemaker Blair Fox has been in place since 2005 and the winery is still in family hands. What seems to be different, at least according to a set of recent releases that we were presented, is that the winery clearly has higher aspirations.

The pair of wines we are highlighting today, the Fess Parker Chardonnay Parker West 2018 and Fess Parker Pinot Fiddlestix 2018, are clearly a step up from anything we recall from this Foxen Canyon producer. Both show the classic lines of where they come from, as do all of the Parker wines. But there is more definition and delineation of flavor, more ‘pop’ if you will, that clearly make these more impressive, inspired bottlings that deserve another level of critical acclaim. Yeah the whole idea of ‘Frontier Red’ may be good for the tourists, but this is the kind of juice that will get them talked about in serious wine circles.

The Fess Parker Chardonnay Parker West 2018 is sourced from two specific blocks in the Parker West vineyard located in the Santa Rita Hills. The juice is entirely barrel fermented and sees nine months in French oak, 42% new. Simple put, the wine has another gear. There is a fresh, bright entry of slightly toasty apple, pear and citrus fruit that is vigorous and broad but sits high on the palate, and seems to have more left to push through to the finish.

The Antoino Galloni review and score will turn a few heads, “The 2018 Chardonnay Parker West is laced with the essence of crushed rocks, lemon peel, white flowers and white pepper. This is an especially taut style, but there is also plenty of fruit depth to keep things in balance. This is such a gorgeous wine and also a terrific example of the style that comes so natural on the western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills…95 points.”

The Fiddlestix Vineyard has a reputation all its own thanks to other bottlings particularly from Kathy Joseph’s Fiddlehead Cellars. This stylish Fess Parker Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard 2017 bottling hits all the high notes yet has a juicy, forward demeanor that makes for a fine hedonistic choice as well. Like the Chardonnay, this comes from specific blocks of the vineyard and sees 17 months in 100% French oak (35% new), which it seems to absorb with no issues.

Again the Galloni notes and score will raise a few eyebrows for this winery, “The 2017 Pinot Noir Fiddlestix Vineyard is a bold, powerful wine, with all of the raw energy that is so typical of this site. Bright red fruit, flowers, game and licorice are all pushed forward. The Fiddlestix is a big, brooding Pinot, but it is also very nicely balanced, with tons of sheer allure, something that young Fiddlestix Pinots don’t always offer….93 points.” Our comment as we were tasting was that this was downright user-friendly for this part of ‘the Hills’ and the fruit had much more of a tender edge than we typically expect from here.

Epiphany Grenache in four-pack cans notwithstanding (yes they make that, too), it is clear from these wines, and a new series of reds sourced from Napa called Addendum, that the folks at Fess Parker are making every effort to raise their game. This Pinot and Chardonnay aren’t the first efforts in their respective series, but they both qualify as ‘best yet’ in their respective series and should cause folks to look in on what they’re doing more often.

ONE OF A KIND CALI WHITE

Wine is an industry that casts a broad net, from extreme traditionalists to incurable tinkerers, and all points in between. On the more experimental end of the biz, there are plenty of ‘thrills of victory’ and even more ‘agonies of defeat’. But it is through this process of innovation and experimentation that new ideas are born. Take for example Dave Phinney, who essentially turned a stuck fermentation into one of the most important new faces in the wine industry years ago, The Prisoner, via clever blending and creative marketing. There are dozens of wineries now trying to reproduce the success of that wine with a variety of ‘Prisoner look-alikes’.

Today’s story isn’t about Prisoner, or even a widely imitated bottling. We’ll get to that shortly. Wine Exchange and Qupe Winery connected in the early 80’s when both were pretty new on the scene. With all of the fuss about the California ‘Rhone Rangers’ years back, a lot of folks credit Randall Grahm with founding the movement. But the first winery we ever tasted that hung their hat on Syrah, circa 1982-83, was Qupe. Even today those early, breakthrough Syrah bottlings still have a place in how we see California wine history.

Qupe owner at the time, Bob Lindquist, worked in a spot affectionately known as ‘the Shed’ along with Au Bon Climat and, over the years, a number of other aspiring winemakers in Santa Maria. Besides his Syrah lineup, and a consistently good Chardonnay from Sierra Madre Vineyard, we credit Bob with creating a wine that was both innovative and delightful, a 50-50 blend of Viognier and Chardonnay. Fresh, bright, and floral from the Viognier, with the midpalate thrust and structure provided by the Chardonny, it was a winner and we sold buckets of the stuff.

Our key point is that we had never seen anything like it before, nor effectively since (yeah there was one Viognier- Chardonnay from southern France some years later, but that was it). Bob visited the store not long ago with his newest efforts from his current project, Lindquist Wines (he sold Qupe in part to Terroir Wines who sold it to Vintage Wine Estates). Among the wines he presented was a 50-50 blend of Viognier and Chardonnay under the Lindquist label. This was once again as exciting as the first efforts we tasted way back when.

The harmony and interplay between the floral, honeysuckle, and peach aspects of Vioginer and the punch of the apple/pear core of the early harvest Chardonnay through the midpalate made for a delightful mouthful, with layers of varied flavors, plenty of weight and lift, and uncanny freshness for a wine of that composition. To us, the Quoe was a breakthrough blend back in the day, and the Lindquist Family Viognier-Chardonnay Bland Edna Valley 2019 still is. Bob was quick to give credit for the idea to mutual favorite Mas Dumas Gassac. But in that wine, Viognier and Chardonnay account for only about half the blend, the balance being Petit Manseng, Chenin Blanc, and ‘other’. This is a delicious, truly one-of-a-kind white.

Antonio Galloni apparently shares our enthusiasm for this very special blend, “The 2019 Viognier 50%/Chardonnay 50% is another terrific wine in this range from Bob Lindquist. Interestingly, the blend of Viognier and Chardonnay yields a wine that is crisp and steely. Viognier aromatics add an intriguing layer of florality to the citrus peel, crushed rock and white pepper flavors. I would prefer to drink this steely white over the next few years, while the flavors remain bright. The 2019 is incredibly distinctive…93 points.”

There don’t appear to be many (any?) folks trying to imitate this gem, but that’s fine as long as this one performs at this level. There is, literally, nothing like it. As for comparisons, Mas Dumas white also costs nearly twice as much. For under $20, the Lindquist Family is a particularly compelling choice.

‘NEW’ OREGON CHARD FROM AN OLD HAND

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But Ponzi, certainly among the oldest ‘dogs’ in Oregon viticulture, has clearly learned a lot more about Chardonnay. A lot of folks in Oregon have. Early on, tasting Chardonnay was something that a buyer did to be polite. For the most part, the wines were narrow, acidic and many smelled like pine needles. Eventually, vintners reexamined the clones they were using and decided they weren’t the best for their cooler region, as well as adjusting winemaking practices.

The changes have been remarkable. A number of the newer Chardonnay bottlings from Oregon have weight, texture, and complexity, while still walking a tighter line because of the cooler growing seasons in this part of the world. Ten years ago we rarely had any inclination to talk up an Oregon Chardonnay. Today we are regularly finding engaging examples. The Ponzi Chardonnay Reserve 2016 is the latest, a blend of various vineyards including the winery’s own LIVE Certiﬁed Sustainable Avellana and Aurora Vineyards, fermented in 15% new French oak.

Texture is the biggest thing you may notice in the new Oregon Chardonnays like this one. While far from fat and blowsy, there’s fruit and weight in the mid-palate, quince, pear, and peach fruit with some toast, floral, and spice notes to the finish. They definitely deserve attention these days.

James Suckling found a lot to like here as well writing, “This is a complex chardonnay with a wealth of ripe peaches and pears, framed in attractive, grilled-cashew and praline nuances. The palate has very composed texture and freshness and delivers a sturdy, concentrated impression with pears, lemons and grilled hazelnuts to close…93 points.”

It seems that, thus far, the public has seemingly not caught on to the changes in Oregon Chardonnay. Or maybe it’s the pandemic. In any case, that makes it better for you as we can offer out this list $44 reserve bottling for a mere $19.99!

ANOTHER OVER-THE-LINE BURGUNDY VALUE

Burgundy is sometimes a ‘game of inches’ as in a short distance one way or the other can determine a lot about quality, and price. As the demarcation of vineyards or appellations go, you have to draw a line somewhere. We’ve had good success finding little wines from top producers where the grapes are sourced in very close proximity to where the elite bottlings come from, but the prices are substantially less because the wine doesn’t carry the name of the top site.

Domaine Philippe Bouzereau et Fils has been one of the places where we have consistently found a very classy Bourgogne that is sourced from a plot ‘just over the line’ from their flagship Chateau Clos de Citeaux in the heart of Meursault. The Bouzereau family has been in Meursault since the 18th Century and this particular domaine was established in the 1960s by Philippe Bouzereau (senior). Philippe Bouzereau (Junior) took over in 2006 and runs this 18 hectares of vines on ‘lutte raisonee’ (meaning only intervening in the vineyard when absolutely necessary).

Like many of the ‘next gen’ vignerons, he is judicious with the use of oak and is all about letting the vineyard shine through. While it sounds a little trite, the term mini-Meursault is quite applicable here. The texture of the wine is consistent with the broader, more open profile of the 2018 white Burgundies in general, but there is sufficient acidity to keep everything bright. The flavors run from white peach to apple fruit-wise with classic flecks of grilled nuts and spice that is the signature of Meursault. A delicious choice for current Chardonnay applications, the Philippe Bouzereau Bourgogne Chardonnay 2018 is well priced ($24.98) given the pedigree it shows in the glass.

INSIDER TRADE: CLOS NOLY

Marie-Pierre Manciat was born into a family of vignerons that have been making wine since 1871. From a very young age, she spent her school vacations in the cellars and vineyards, soaking up knowledge and experience, all of which helped her when she took over the reins of her family’s estate in 2002 and became a sixth-generation winemaker. Her family has instilled in her a strong sense of tradition, time-honored winemaking practices, and the value of quality over quantity.

Her father, Claude Manciat, was one of the top producers in the Maconnais area. Up until the early 1980s when he took over, the Manciat wines were mainly sold in bulk to local negociants. But Claude decided that he wanted to focus on making and bottling his own wines. As the result of his meticulous viticulture and vinification techniques, he has been able to attain a high level of quality, translating into exceptional purity and texture apparent in the wines produced. In addition to practicing sustainable agriculture, the Manciats are among the few remaining vignerons in the Macon that still harvest by hand.

Marie Pierre is a ‘chip off the old block’, created riveting whites that perform far above the crowd by virtue of her attention to detail in the vineyard and the cellar. That purity of fruit and touch is particularly visible in this effort. The yields at this domaine are routinely 20-30 percent lower than what is allowed in each given appellation allowing Marie-Pierre to craft wines that are rich and powerful while remaining focused with an emphasis on the calcaire rich soils of each terroir. The goal is to harvest fruit as near to ‘perfect’ as possible and that definitely happened here.

Clos Noly is named after the oldest vineyard at Domaine Manciat-Poncet which is based in Chaintré. There are 23 total hectares spread out among 5 villages but this particular site, which touches the far better-known appellation of Pouilly Fuisse, is only .28 hectare (7/10 of an acre). There are only 15 domaines in the entire Pouilly Vinzelles appellation. The Clos Noly Pouilly-Vinzelles Les Longeays 2017 comes from a 40-year-old Chardonnay vineyard composed of clay and limestone soils with a western exposure.

Marie-Pierre lets each area express itself according to its personality, and each of her wines are aged differently, in either stainless steel tanks or oak barrels. In the end, she believes that wine is above all else, a refreshing drink. This is why she strives to create a harmony between depth, complexity, minerality, and drinkability in all of her wines. This Les Longeays got our attention at first sip and the description is going to sound like we are trying to say all the right words.

There’s weight and substance on the entry, and deceptive but clearly very polished richness to the fruit component of apple, citrus, and peach mingled with subtle streaks of stony minerality and a faint tinge of honey. The mesh of fruit, texture, and bright acidity harmonize in a way few wines do, and the wine glides over the tongue and finishes with a near-perfect cut. It sees 10% new oak with the balance in neutral barrels. To borrow a phrase from the Army of ‘be all that you can be’, we can’t imagine that this wine, from this place, could have been any better than it is. Bravo!

Not only is it a poised, delicious, beautiful bottle of Chardonnay, it is remarkably under-priced given the performance. This is an ‘insiders’ play simply because we don’t have enough to support a full-blown email. You probably guessed that from the size of the vineyard. But the value here is off the charts, and it is not only super tasty but lifted and refreshing. You can bet some of this will be going to our houses.

GET IN EARLY ON WHAT MAY BE BUYS OF THE YEAR

What goes around, comes around they say. Well we have been doing this long enough that we have witnessed the entire cycle of more than a few wineries play out over time. It was kind of amusing as we were being presented these wines, and the purveyor started to explain the Rutz story, we told him, “Yeah we know Rutz. We sold buckets of it 20 years ago. Where have they been?” For us it was a delightful déjà vu in a number of ways.

The Rutz label was started in 1991 with the main purpose to showcase the Russian River region. This they did with great aplomb, focusing on the characteristics of the region for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Rutz winemaking style back then was classic to us, the kind of wines we appreciated from California that showcased the fruit and the nuance of an appellation and used winemaking and oak to augment that presentation rather than dominate. This was before the trend towards overly stylized, even blowsy juice started to dominate the scene with the aim of garnering impressive reviews from the most influential media of the time.

Keith Rutz never went down that road then, and he still doesn’t. But we’ll get to that in a moment. We had a few Rutz items in the Stock Report around the ‘turn of the century’, six as a matter of fact (four Chardonnays and two Pinots at a variety of price points) including the wine on our front page in February, 2000, the Rutz Chardonnay 1997. We were fans of the house. The pretense for that legendary Chardonnay deal (we sold it for $8!) was that the winery was going through a package change from the at-the-time greenish label depicting a man emerging from (or descending into?) a pile of rocks. We understood the winery’s marketing logic. More important, we have a good instinct for a screaming buy and threw this opportunity into high gear.

Though we didn’t really think about it back then (so many wines, so little time), after blowing through a substantial chuck of wine, we lost touch with Rutz for, well, the better part of two decades. Was he avoiding us because we were too aggressive? We were asked to sell wine and we did. Was he involved in some kind of winery witness protection program? Who can say? Was this sudden reemergence due to COVID-19? We didn’t ask. Given what we were presented, Rutz couldn’t have reappeared at a better time with a chance to recreate its own history at Winex.

The new wines are exactly what they used to be. That isn’t necessarily as surprise as many of the hottest winemakers are dialing it back to the more classic, unfettered style. In truth, even though we didn’t taste Rutz’s wines for a long time, we’re pretty confident Rutz was never a slave to ‘fashion’. This Burgundy mojo is his calling.

The Rutz Proprietor’s Reserve Chardonnay 2018 ($9.98!) is a beautiful rendition of the classic California Chardonnays of yesteryear. The fruit takes center stage presenting lovely scents of fresh apple, pear, and an undertone of citrus, accented with a touch of stony minerality and the well embedded brown baking spices one associates with the Russian River. Only a kiss of oak shows in support of the fruit, and while it has weight, the flavors are bright and the edges are appropriately crisp. This is a focused, well made offering that one can drink all night long because it is never tiresome on the palate.

The Rutz Proprietor’s Reserve Pinot Noir 2018 ($10.98!) demonstrates why the Russian River is our California AVA of choice for Pinot. Boisterous, energetic seasonal ripe cherry and dark berry fruit tones accented with cinnamon, clove, a hint of fresh herb and a note of pepper. An engaging Pinot, this has the stuffing and thrust to play off a variety of dishes, but is supple enough to play by itself. Again, this isn’t a wine that will bore you after half a glass. There is plenty going on to keep your attention over the long game.

You want scores and highlights? Rutz did a fine job of keeping out of the public eye as well. We did a quick search and the most recent review we could find in the larger media names was on a 2006. He did quote a reviewer on these wines but it was someone we have not ever heard of. Points are not ‘the point’ here however.

The problem with this tasty pair is that they are too easy to settle in with. Both are competent choices in today’s market that are well worth the $30+ list prices on their website. At the prices we are offering them for today, however, they blow the doors off the competition! Of course these wines were not made to sell at these prices and therein lies the magic of the deal.

It seems like old times, or like “déjà vu all over again” because we are able to offer these at incredible prices. These Proprietor’s Reserves are Rutz as we remember them, only better. That’s fine by us. They are screaming deals by any meaasure. Here we are, twenty years later, offering one of the most exceptional buys we have seen in quite a while, and as you are aware from our emails, we have seen a lot eye-popping offers! We’ll leave you with the closing ‘quote’ of the article we wrote some two decades ago because it is still just as appropriate. “It’s value craziness! Take care of your summer, party, and household needs for 2020 in one fell swoop. While they last.”

LE ‘HOUSE BLANC’?

A good ‘all-purpose’ white is handy for most folks. Something that is fruit-driven, bright, clean and food-friendly covers most of the applications for this kind of white and value pricing is also part of the equation. Frankly, we have had the most success in that field with White Burgundy but so often wines with the simple Bourgogne label simply don’t deliver.

We usually are able to find a least a couple of wines that will check all the boxes, but this time around the 2017 Faiveley Bourgogne Blanc 2017 convincingly displaced one of our long-running players in that role.It simply had more going on, more verve, and made an impression in the glass. Overall we have been pleased with the 2017 whites from Burgundy, but this multi-appellation blend came off as particularly well built.

Floral aad wild herb notes in the nose, a surprisingly authoritative palate presence of pear and citrus, palate-coating body and a rather long finish, while it didn’t speak of a particular terroir it had loads of personality and performed nicely in the glass. About 30% sees a combination of new and used oak, but its personality is closer to a broader shouldered Chablis than a sappier domestic Chardonnay. It will hold in the bottle for 2-3 seasons for sure if need be.

Certainly, the underlying minerality from the marl, clay and limestone soils defined the wine’s origins and this lively white does not lack for character. Most Bourgognes don’t have this kind of presence and Faiveley winemaker Jerome Flous got all of this one, especially for under $20.

LIQUID FARM’S NEW ‘SISTER’

We’ll be the first to admit that we probably don’t spend proportionately enough time talking about California Chardonnay. We do sell a bit of it. But a lot of it is formulaic and geared to fitting certain flavor profiles, while other (which you won’t read about here) are trying, but not quite achieving, some sort of stylistic ideal. Frankly, for such reasons, we find very few California Chardonnays to get excited about. So, if nothing else, this a rare situation where we ran across something that we thought had some ‘sizzle’ and the kind of character that deserves attention.

As we have no shame in saying, our personal preferences run a bit ‘Euro’. Big, fat, sappy styles of Chardonnay are not ‘our jam’ and rather limited in food applications besides. There are, however, ‘local’ alternatives that do strike a chord. One of the more consistent sources is a small Central Coast producer called Liquid Farm. These folks ‘get it’ and we have dabbled over the years with a number of different releases from them.

Perhaps there is a bit of a ‘kindred spirit’ vibe here as we knew owner Jeff Nelson from back in the days where he worked with both Champagne and Burgundy entities on the wholesale market. In the beginning of the project (2009 to be specific), the winery slated a first release that consisted of four barrels of wine with the idea to make a singular bottling. As they tell the story, the juice itself had other ideas with the various component barrels evolving into distinctively different wines that had their own story to tell. Since then the game has been to listen to the grapes and take it from there.

The main focus of the winery had been the Santa Rita Hills but they refer to the Liquid Farm Chardonnay La Hermana Santa Maria Valley 2017 as the first “sister”(La Hermana is Spanish for ‘sister’) to their Santa Rita Hills Chardonnays. The grapes for ‘Sister’ come from the neighboring Santa Maria Valley, roughly equal parts Bien Nacido Vineyard and Solomon Hills Vineyard. The juice goes through 100% neutral barrel fermentation and subsequently sees an additional 10 months in barrel.

There are a lot of reasons we like this wine. Most important, it beautifully embraces the European model while still providing fruit and flavor interest. There is both flesh and verve. There’s volume to the floral, apple, pear, mineral fruit, and a fine underpinning of acidity underneath so that everything hums along nicely across the palate. That combination seems to be difficult to achieve in California and makes this wine stand out because it can play to many stylistic camps. Also, among the Liquid Farm lineup, this is the bargain. It give you a great show of the style and quality of the house, but at half the price of their SRH bottlings.

Antonio Galloni found a lot to like here as well, “The 2017 Chardonnay La Hermana is the one Santa Maria Chardonnay in this lineup. Orchard fruit, white flowers, mint, slate and chalk add layers of complexity to a bright, enticing Chardonnay that oozes class. Impeccable in its balance, La Hermana is bright, layered and incredibly appealing…93 points.”

SOUTH AFRICA: CHARDONNAY HOTBED?

At the end of last year one of the key points we made was that Chardonnay was going to be an important topic in the wine world, but “not the Chardonnays you think”. A lot of folks here are moving past the biggest and blowsiest wines stylistically, and a number of newer California bottlings are showing much more precision and verve. Oregon is making Chardonnays like they never have before. But it seems, for the time being, the biggest news is south of the Equator.

The critics will continue to buzz about those $100+ ‘drama’ California Chardonnays that ring up 99 points every year that you can’t buy. Hey, that’s what critics do. But for real people who have to spend their own money, there is a lot more to like and better value from places like Australia, Argentina and the origin for today’s compelling value offer, South Africa.

Most people may not realize it, but the closest climate to California on the planet can be found in…South Africa. Lots of sunshine, warm days near the coast but never scorching. The temperatures and soils make for Chardonnay that manifests like some of the finest from California and France, but with their own unique edge. It’s all about the limestone, that definitive dirt that has much to do with the vinous success of estates in both Burgundy and Bordeaux, as well as very specific sites in Mount Harlan (think Calera), westside Paso, and parts of the Santa Rita Hills. Of course the price tags for things from those magical soils can be a bit dear. Character costs.

But that’s what makes knowing about little secrets like De Wetshof all the more exciting. If we can get both the sunshine, and the stones, combine that with perfect vines and top winemaking, and good things are likely to happen.

The De Wetshof Estate is, in fact, one of the pioneers of Chardonnay in South Africa. We fondly remember looking back and tasting some of the very first South African wines to arrive here post-apartheid and even back then we noted that De Wetshof was one of the labels to watch. The family continues to pioneer Chardonnay, with no less than a half-dozen different site-specific bottlings. All are noteworthy, but it is easiest to make the case for the purity and definition of the De Wetshof Estate Chardonnay Bon Vallon Robertson 2018 at a sub $15 fare.

What a wine for the money! The vines are 10-20 years old and sit in soils of broken mountain rock and limestone with a little bit of clay that aids in water retention. The resulting juice has surprising palate authority and tension that whisks the palate clean with every sip, but still has enough mid-palate weight to deliver in an aperitif role. It’s the perfect fusion of old world and new world styles. This particular rendition also sees no oak, which is an additional plus for some folks.

We offered with the DeWetshof’s Lesca bottling not long ago and, like we said, have worked with these wines for a long time. We actually tasted this little number alongside the newest Lesca (2018, we still have a little of the 93-point 2017). They were both excellent examples of terroir driven, clean Chardonnay and both of these 2018s got 92 points from Wine Spectator. However, the price difference made our choice clear. The ‘delta’ was strong with this one (WS 92 points, $14.98) and it is a fantastic candidate for house Chardonnay particularly given its food versatility.

Wine Spectator’s succinct prose tells a pretty concise story, “A flash of matchstick gives way quickly to a bright core of green and yellow apple flavors laced liberally with honeysuckle and verbena notes through the nicely detailed finish. Very, very solid. Drink now through 2021.” We’d also note a subtle streak of minerality running through the wine adds more dimension. We’d have to say the Bon Vallon 2018 is one of the better unoaked Chardonnays out there and pretty much unequalled for style and character in the price range.

Most people don’t think of South Africa as a ‘hotbed’ for Chardonnay. But offerings this good for this kind of price will do a lot to change that.