Top rated Sonoma County Chardonnays for USA market

By | July 20, 2016

Introduction

Sonoma Chardonnay vineyardSonoma County in California has a long history when it comes to wine and Chardonnay remains the most popular grape.

Sonoma County, twice the size of its neighbour Napa Valley, extends from Napa on to the Mayacamas Mountains. Climate, location and soil type are diverse, so the wine is getting more and more interesting. The Pacific Ocean to the west exerts influence with fog in the morning and late afternoon, making the climate tempered in the growing season. The sea offers frost protection in the spring, when unfettered bloom is essential. In short an ideal environment to grow quality grapes for quality wines.

Find beneath reviews and ratings for a selection of top rated Sonoma County Chardonnays deliverable through Wine.com. 

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The average grocery store carries 600 wines and the average wine shop carries 1,200. Wine.com offers you over 10,000 wines every year from over 100 appellations and 50 grape varietals. Our available inventory is well over a million bottles. Get the best wines at Wine.com right here:

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What do the ratings mean?

Score Explanation
95–100 A classic great wine
90–94 An outstanding wine of superior character and style
85–89 A very good wine with special qualities
80-84 A good solid, well-made wine
75–79 A mediocre wine, drinkable but may have minor flaws
50–74 Not recommended

The best selling wines you need to try:

1) Product: La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

Where to buy best: Wine.comSonoma County Chardonnay

Vintage: 2014

Bottle: 750 ml

Alcohol: 13.5%

Location: Russian River Valley

Rating: 90/100

Price: Discounted 27% from $30 to $21.99

Wine Tasting Notes

Fresh Meyer lemon scents, with butter cookie and ripe pear. Baked apple flavors, with white peach and nutmeg. Rich, yet light on the palate.

Wine Makers Notes

Since 1979, La Crema Winery has been a pioneer in producing Burgundian varietals from the cool Sonoma coast. They handcraft their wine, one barrel at a time, at their family-owned estate located in the Russian River Valley. Balance, finesse and great fruit intensity come through in every glass of La Crema wine.

La Crema’s location in the Russian River Valley is ideal for producing wines of uncompromising elegance and balance. To achieve this goal, several unique steps take place in getting fruit from the vineyards to the bottle. It begins in the vineyard, where careful canopy management and hand harvesting assure fully ripe, undamaged grapes are brought to the winery. At the winery, Winemaker Melissa Stackhouse uses artisan winemaking techniques to handcraft wines of distinctive flavor, elegance and balance.

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2) Product: Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

Where to buy best: Wine.comSonoma County Chardonnay

Vintage: 2014

Bottle: 750 ml

Location: Russian River Valley

Rating: 91/100

Price: Discounted 8% from $40 to $36.99

Wine Tasting Notes

The 2014 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast has a greenish hue, always a good sign as it seems to suggest chlorophyll and healthy grapes. The wine has hints of subtle pineapple, honeysuckle, green apple skin and citrus oil. It is medium-bodied and refreshing, with terrific fruit purity and a ripe, medium to full-bodied palate with zesty acidity. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.

Wine Makers Notes

Our 2014 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is one of the finest vintages of this wine we have ever made. In addition to reflecting the dazzling quality of the 2014 growing season, this vintage includes grapes from an exceptional new vineyard that was planted specifically for us by renowned winegrower Mark Sanchietti. Though it comes from a who’s who of world-class Sonoma Coast vineyards, the core of this Chardonnay is from Sanchietti Vineyard Pleasant Hill and Gap’s Crown, with the Sanchietti fruit adding richness and texture and the Gap’s Crown grapes providingminerality and vibrant acidity. Blended with grapes from acclaimed vineyards like Parmalee Hill, Dutton Ranch and Durell Vineyard, this wine is beautifully complex with aromas and flavors of pineapple, guava, honeydew and lime zest, as well as secondary notes of toasted almond macaroon, cinnamon and sugar cookies. On the palate, it is plush and mouthfilling, flowing to a long, layered.

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3) Product: Arrowood Sonoma Chardonnay

Where to buy best: Wine.comSonoma County Chardonnay

Vintage: 2013

Bottle: 750 ml

Alcohol: 13.5%

Location: Sonoma County

Rating: 90/100

Price: Discounted 28% from $25 to $17.99

Wine Tasting Notes

Aromatics of spiced oak, red apple, citrus and citrus blossom; palate is lush and layered with crisp acidity and flavors of citrus, apple and a touch of kiwi; long balanced finish.

Wine Makers Notes

Richard and Alis Arrowood founded Arrowood Winery in 1987 with a philosophy of making wines of singular and exceptional quality, using grapes grown exclusively in Sonoma County. Richard continually explores the diversity of Sonoma County, working with mostly the same grape growers he began cultivating in 1974, as Winemaster at Chateau St. Jean Winery. Arrowood is known for making small lots of benchmark Cabernet Sauvignons, Chardonnays, Merlot, Viognier and Syrahs, among other varietals.

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4) Product: Chateau St. Jean Belle Terre Chardonnay

Where to buy best: Wine.comSonoma County Chardonnay

Vintage: 2013

Bottle: 750 ml

Alcohol: 14.0%

Location: Sonoma County

Rating: 90/100

Price: Discounted 17% from $30 to $24.99

Wine Tasting Notes

The 2013 Belle Terre Chardonnay offers bright aromas of peach, lemon curd and notes of sweet vanilla spice. The wine is medium-bodied and rich on the palate. The well-structured wine is balanced by a core of ripe fruit characteristics and a line of racy acidity. The mouthwatering flavours of Meyer lemon sorbet and pineapple linger on the long finish.

Wine Makers Notes

Founded in 1973 in the Sonoma Valley, Chateau St. Jean is the quintessential Sonoma winery. Chateau St. Jean produces an extensive portfolio of Sonoma County wines as well as vineyard designated wines, limited production Reserve wines, and the flagship Cinq Cépages Cabernet Sauvignon. Winemaker Margo Van Staaveren uses her more than 30 years of vineyard and winemaking expertise with Chateau St. Jean to continue the tradition of highlighting the best of each vineyard site to produce exceptional wines. Chateau St. Jean was the first Sonoma winery to be awarded the prestigious “Wine of the Year” award from Wine Spectator Magazine for its 1996 Cinq Cépages, a Bordeaux style blend of “five varieties” and has long been recognized as a leader in vineyard designated wines.

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I have tried to be as clear as possible in my reviews, however, if you have any questions and/or remarks, feel free to use the comment box and I will be back to you within 24 hours.

 

2 thoughts on “Top rated Sonoma County Chardonnays for USA market

  1. Pierre

    Thank you for the post and review. I am not much of a wine expert but I do enjoy a good wine once in a while. I am trying to plan a trip from Vancouver down the west coast to California with my kids. And of course wanted to hit a winery along the way. I might have to try Sonoma county:)

    Reply
    1. Jerry Post author

      Hi Pierre, you might want to look around my website a bit more in order to become more versed in the wine business. Just a small hint. If you go by car from Vancouver, then you will pass through Washington State and Oregon, both of which have quality vineyards as well. As a matter of fact, my next review of top quality Chardonnays will cover some of their wines. However, the best Chardonnays tend to come from Sonoma County and Napa Valley, which are neighbouring wine areas near San Francisco. I wish you a good trip with happy wine experiences!

      Reply

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