The Chardonnay vine is planted extensively across the length of USA’s West Coast. From the northern borders of Oregon down to north of LA in the Santana Barbara region, it makes a variety of different quality wines from entry-level to super-premium.
Californian Chardonnays came of age in Paris on 24th May 1976. A tasting had been arranged to compare top-flight Chardonnays from California with top-flight White Burgundy, as well as Cabernets from California competing with the finest reds from Bordeaux.
It was a blind tasting, all the judges were French, but the Californians won both categories. Uproar ensued, but this firmly put California on the map as a region capable of producing the very finest of wines. The tasting is now known as ‘The Judgement of Paris’.
Move on a few decades and the Californians are continuing to produce exceptional wines, and have now been joined by Oregon who have also excelled in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir production.
Most of the Oregon vineyards sit on the west of the state, just inland of the Pacific Ocean. The wine growing region sits in roughly the same latitude as the area from Lyon to the Mediterranean. The days are long in summer and autumn, combined with a strong influence from the cold ocean currents and winds from the Pacific, create a very favourable environment for growing grapes.
As you head south into California, the structure of the landscape has significantly more influence for the coastal wine regions than the degree of latitude. The climate is governed by the mountain ranges, the Pacific, and the east-west river valleys. During the day the land warms, pushing up the air directly above the land, and pulling in cold air from the Pacific along the river valleys during the afternoons and evenings.
On a recent visit to California and Oregon, there was the opportunity to assess a number of Chardonnays in terms of their excellent quality, alongside their ability to age and identify a few that need time to reach their full potential.
The four wines listed here are in that category: outstanding quality combined with the need to keep in the cellar for another four to six years. Perhaps longer as they will all see the 2030s without missing a beat.
1 - Ramey Wine Cellars, Healdsburg, California
Discussing the winemaking philosophy with Alan Ramey at his family winery in Healdsburg, the focus is on making wines that will age: the philosophy here is to craft for long-term consumption. Berrys have two vintages of a single vineyard wine, Westside Farms, the 2015 and 2016. There are only a few bottles of the 2015 remaining. It is outstanding today and will continue to age for another few years. 2016 is outstanding but needs another four years, perhaps a little longer, to hit full potential. This vineyard is located in Russian River.
They are both vibrant, rich, finessed, crafted and delicious. The ‘15 is more forward and has greater intensity, the ‘16 more refined with a more coherent balance, and length. Buy as much as Berrys will sell you of the ’15 and keep it alongside the ’16 to enjoy as a side-by-side experience in a few years.
2015 - £80.50 - Berrys
2016 - £80.50 - Berrys
2 - Lingua Franca, Estate Chardonnay 2021, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon
We now move up a notch or two, and locate to Oregon.
With a drinking window from 2025 to 2034, this wine has concentration and depth that are exceptionally enticing. There is a subtle amount of new oak on the nose combined with pear and lemon zest. The concentration on the palate is perfection: ripe fruit combined with exceptionally well balanced acidity, this has refined elegance that sits and sits as the flavour evolves in your mouth. Citrus, toasted bread, flinty oyster shells, ripe pears and immense depth. A stunning wine.
£73.00 - Berrys
3 - Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley Chardonnay 2020
The Chardonnay from this winery won the white wine category in the ‘Judgement of Paris’ detailed above. The winery was established in 1882, but wine production stopped during the Prohibition period. It was re-vitalised in 1968 and has been making exceptional reds and whites ever since.
There is a depth here that is tricky to quantify. When you taste it you just know that this is something really exceptional. Yes, it has all the characteristics and hallmarks of a wonderfully crafted wine, but then there are the layers and layers of different nuances as the wine evolves and creates a memory in your mind that this is a wine you would want in your cellar to drink on very special occasions from 2028 to the mid 2030s.
£69.50 - Vinvm
Footnote
There is a perception that Californian wines are expensive. If the French have found them better than their own wines since the 70s, then you cannot fault them for charging the same given their parallel quality.
There are a host of examples of California wines in the sub-£20 bracket on UK supermarket shelves, providing excellent value for money. Ditto in the £20-£50 category. Ditto in £50+ bracket. The critical factor in this equation is to remember that stylistically, these wines can be very different, but overall quality can be on a par: climatically Bordeaux and Burgundy are very different from California and Oregon. Therefore, the old adage of comparing ‘apples and pears’ springs to mind. Both are delicious, but simply different, and both have a place in your cellar.