wine color: White

Miner Family Winery Chardonnay 2011

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Miner Family Winery
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2011
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Napa Valley
Retail Price: $54.99

Tasting Notes: From their Chardonnay series, this is the “wild yeast offering.” The Miner family sources from three of the top Napa sites, and then utilizes native yeasts. For the fermentation process, 16 months in oak with 100% malolactic and barrel fermentation yield a rich, opulent wine, ripe with tropical fruit notes. This one can only improve with light cellaring, if you’re patient enough.
Miner Family Winery Chardonnay 2011

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Migration Chardonnay 2013

94
Migration
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2013
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Russian River Valley
Retail Price: $34.99

Tasting Notes: Only their fifth release, winemaker Bo Felton is hitting his stride as Duckhorn expands from their Napa base and utilizes 14 of the best vineyard sites in the cool-climate Russian River. Rich layers of complex tropical fruit on the nose lead to a rich balanced mouth feel, with rich vanilla and butterscotch on the finish.
Migration Chardonnay 2013

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Matthiasson Chardonnay 2013

93
Matthiasson
Fanciful Name: Linda Vista Vineyard
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2013
Country of Origin: California
Appellation: Napa Valley
Retail Price: $27.49

Tasting Notes: Killer Cali chard with a Burgundian temperament. Incredible balance is this wine’s hallmark. Fresh pear, yellow apple and almond paste are all present with great depth. Vibrant acidy provides the framework for the pure fruit and mineral expressions.
Matthiasson Chardonnay 2013

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Jean-Marc Brocard Chardonnay 2014

92
Jean-Marc Brocard
Fanciful Name: Sainte Claire
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2014
Country of Origin: France
Appellation: Chablis
Retail Price: $22.99

Tasting Notes: This wine begins with a flinty aroma that leads the way into pure green apples and lemons on the palate. The mid-palate has fine richness that finishes with vibrant acidity. Drink this now; great when paired with seafood or a white sauce pasta dish.
Jean-Marc Brocard Chardonnay 2014

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Domaine Lafage Novellum Chardonnay 2014

92
Domaine Lafage Novellum
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2014
Country of Origin: France
Appellation: IGP Cotes Catalanes
Retail Price: $12.99

Tasting Notes: The best value in Chardonnay you can find. Aging on Viognier lees gives this wine body without the use of oak, so it meets the well-balanced look that touches every side of Chardonnay drinkers. It is near impossible to find value in Chardonnay that is not one-noted, and Novellum Chardonnay’s complex fruit and mineral tinged flavors keep it away from that. To boot, you are drinking Chardonnay from Roussillon, France, which is an anomaly in its own right. This wine delivers each vintage and the 2014 is no slouch.
Domaine Lafage Novellum Chardonnay 2014

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Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling 2014

92
Willamette Valley Vineyards
Varietal: Riesling
Vintage: 2014
Country of Origin: Oregon
Appellation: Willamette Valley
Retail Price: $15

Tasting Notes: Oregon is not where you would typically expect to find Riesling of this outstanding quality. The aromas of sweet, ripe nectarine, Anjou pears, wild flowers and honeysuckle lead you to believe this will be a sweet wine. But as the wine dances across the palate, the complex flavors and the focused acidity takes over. Completing the experience is the long, lingering finish.
Willamette Valley Vineyards Riesling 2014

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Soter North Valley Chardonnay 2012

93
Soter North Valley
Fanciful Name: Reserve
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2012
Country of Origin: Oregon
Appellation: Willamette Valley
Retail Price: $30

Tasting Notes: This is not an oak bomb. Balanced fruit and acidity, with floral aromas, toffee and apple on the palate — all deliver a rich, long finish that is a treat.
Soter North Valley Chardonnay 2012

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Evening Land Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay 2013

98
Evening Land Seven Springs Vineyard
Fanciful Name: Summum
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2013
Country of Origin: Oregon
Appellation: Willamette Valley
Retail Price: $89.99

Tasting Notes: As far as I am concerned, this is the best white wine made in America. Their efforts to create a Grand Cru the likes of white Burgundy have been realized. The most precise American Chardonnay I have ever tasted, this wine dances on the palate on the way to a long, satisfying finish. The epitome of balance and elegance, no Chardonnay you try will be able to match.
Evening Land Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay 2013

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Evening Land Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay 2013

94
Evening Land Seven Springs Vineyard
Varietal: Chardonnay
Vintage: 2013
Country of Origin: Oregon
Appellation: Willamette Valley
Retail Price: $45.99

Tasting Notes: A more affordable offering from one of the U.S’s best producers. Eleven months of French Oak-aging is hard to comprehend when tasting how balanced this wine is. Classic fruit flavors of apple, pear and tropical fruits highlight this Burgundian style. The only way to top this is to jump up to their highest end offering of the single block “Summum” Chardonnay. This wine is much more readily available and will turn into the everyday Chardonnay of whoever takes the leap.
Evening Land Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay 2013

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Alexana Riesling 2011

94
Alexana
Varietal: Riesling
Vintage: 2011
Country of Origin: Oregon
Appellation: Willamette Valley
Retail Price: $28.99

Tasting Notes: Riesling is becoming more and more of a hot-button grape in the state of Oregon. Alexana is producing the style that has people talking. Made in an Alsatian style, and closer to dry than off-dry, this Riesling can convert any white wine fan to a Riesling fan. Heck, any wine drinker in general. You won’t find a richer, more expansive palate on a Riesling from this area of the country. Team it with your next Thai dish or a hot summer day.
Alexana Riesling 2011

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Cadaretta Sauvigon Blanc / Semillon 2013

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Cadaretta
Varietal: Sauvigon Blanc
Vintage: 2013
Country of Origin: Washington
Appellation: Columbia Valley
Retail Price: $23.99

Tasting Notes: Bordeaux-style white blends are becoming the in-thing in Washington State, and Cadaretta could be considered part of the reason. Fresh citrus and a hint of grassiness leap from the glass and onto your palate. The perfect amount of acidity keeps the finish crisp and clean enough to make you yearn for more.
Cadaretta Sauvigon Blanc / Semillon 2013

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McPherson Cellars Albariño 2015

94
McPherson Cellars
Varietal: Albariño
Vintage: 2015
Country of Origin: United States
Retail Price: $21.99

Tasting Notes: Kim and his Dad “Doc” McPherson were early pioneers in producing wines that didn’t fit the traditional categories but thrived in the hot, dry Texas climate. His Albariño is a classic example. Perfect balance of fruit and acid. Viscous mouth feel that begs for another sip. Excellent with gulf coast seafood.
McPherson Cellars Albariño 2015

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