Honest Cooking recommended Chateau Montelena Napa Valley Chardonnay 2018 and Gary Farrell Russian River Selection Chardonnay 2018 as two of the top white wines to purchase this summer.
Writer Kalle Bergman spoke with Chateau Montelena Winemaker Matt Crafton about the 2018 vintage Chardonnay, and included some of the highlights below:
“Paradoxically, the “easy” or “straightforward” vintages can be the most difficult for me as a winemaker. The media, critics, and industry representatives tend to praise classic California vintages as a tide that lifts all ships, providing a simple, neat narrative that makes for clean headlines and a universal endorsement of the resulting wines. And they’re correct. For those wineries making high-volume, formulaic products, these vintages can be a godsend. But for us at Montelena, the challenge becomes how to artfully craft the mosaic, that beautiful composition of the disparate parts of each vineyard block into something truly captivating and nuanced, amidst so much uniformity. 2018 certainly qualifies in that it would have been tantalizingly easy to fall into the rut of recipe-driven, prescribed process. Thus our objective became how to highlight subtlety; how to tactfully magnify the shades of flavor that are so easily obscured by the abundant sunshine. It’s a unique mindset in that we actively search for and embrace the challenge. It’s the Montelena way.“
Bergman says the Gary Farrell Russian River Selection Chardonnay 2018 has “very attractive citrus notes of lemon rind and grapefruit initially present on the nose, followed by crisp nectarine, honeydew melon, pressed mint leaves and lemongrass. There is plenty to love here for even the non-Chardonnay-lover. Fresh, crisp flavors of Meyer lemon and lime zest create a bright entry that beautifully complements the more opulent flavors of honey, fresh apricot and peach tartlet. The palate is very energetic and fresh with an underlying layer of acidity and loads of fleshy texture.” Read the full story HERE
