Sonoma Chardonnay beyond the stereotypes: 20 great bottles that show the spectrum of terroir-driven styles

Almar is a true coastal Chardonnay expression from Flowers’ Camp Meeting Ridge in the Fort Ross–Seaview AVA. This is a single-block wine from a parcel...

Charles Heintz is quite an iconic Chardonnay vineyard in Sonoma County. Ted Lemon was the first to make a vineyard-designated bottling from the site -...

Planted in 1982, Upper Barn is, in my opinion, one of the most distinctive Chardonnay sites in Sonoma. It’s a vineyard that naturally leans into...

Hirsch Vineyards is one of the most famous sites in the Fort Ross–Seaview AVA on the West Sonoma Coast - high above the fog line...

Charles Ranch is another historic site on the Fort Ross–Seaview AVA - planted in 1981 on rocky soils, pre-phylloxera, with vines that have slowly reduced...

This is one of the most interesting Chardonnays from Rochioli, a benchmark producer in the Russian River, located on Westside Road, just outside Healdsburg. A...

The Carex 2023 is a Chardonnay that leans toward the more restrained side, where acidity and minerality lead the way. The grapes come from the...

While Joseph Phelps is best known for its Napa Valley wines, the Freestone wines on the Sonoma Coast are very much on par in terms...

Knights Valley is an AVA with a lot of unrealised potential - there are, in fact, only two wineries in the area. Knights Bridge, one...

Formerly labelled 'Estate', the wine was renamed Maritima starting with the 2022 vintage to avoid confusion with the West Sonoma Coast Chardonnay label and to...

This is such an elegant, fresh, lifted and delicious Chardonnay. Sourced from dry-farmed vines now approaching 70 years of age, located just outside the Santa...

Three Sticks has been farming the well-known Gap’s Crown Vineyard since 2012, a fairly large site in the Petaluma Gap - a 15-mile wind funnel...

Another lovely vintage of the Myrna Chardonnay, a wine from Far Mountain - a small project, but one that carries the signature of winemaker and...

Broc Cellars, one of the cool Berkeley-based urban wineries, is known for its commitment to minimal intervention. They’ve been working with fruit from the Michael...

Ritchie is one of those Sonoma Chardonnay vineyards that has become a benchmark over time, and Ramey - a benchmark Sonoma Chardonnay producer - has...

The H. Klopp Chardonnay from Reeve is quite an interesting wine, showing surprising exotic aromas. Planted in 2013 by Ted Klopp and his daughter Lauren...

This wine is a good reminder of how difficult it is to reduce a region to a single style. Sonoma County simply doesn’t work that...

Green Acres is Saintsbury’s longest-standing Chardonnay partnership, with fruit sourced from the Sangiacomo family since 1981. This wine comes from a specific block of Old...

This Chardonnay falls into the category of richer wines from the Russian River Valley. It’s sourced from six different sites across the appellation and planted...

While this is the inaugural vintage of the bottling, the vineyard itself goes back much further. The 2023 Davis Bynum Dutton Origin Chardonnay comes from...