How often do you open a wine and get just what you’re hoping for? For me, this was one of those times when I got what I had hoped for in a Sonoma chardonnay: a wine that has some fruitiness and plenty of minerality, along with a backbone of structure. And just enough oak-induced vanilla to please but not overwhelm, because the wine’s fermentation and ageing were carefully coordinated in stainless steel and oak barrels.
The wine is lemony with a hint of tropical fruit in the aroma — even a hint of minerality, which intensifies on the palate. The buttery oak is balanced by smoky flintiness in the flavor, and the mouthfeel is slightly round due to five weeks on the lees with battonage. The finish is fairly long, with fruit smoothing into minerality. A lively streak of acidity running throughout, that resolves into lime at the very end.
Holds its own with food, especially creamy, mild seafood like a very delicate lobster mac-and-cheese, where the emphasis is on the lobster not the cheese. If you love vanilla notes in chardonnay, serve this with salty foods; otherwise stay away from a lot of salt when pairing foods with this wine.
SUSTAINABILITY: Jordan has been a pioneer in sustainable vineyards since the 1990s, with fish-friendly and bee-friendly certification as well. The winery’s electricity use is also carbon-neutral.
WHO: Jordan Winery
WHAT: 100% chardonnay
WHERE: Russian River Valley, Sonoma, California
HOW MUCH: $35 (media sample)
