Chalone Vineyard Estate Chardonnay 2021

Chalone Vineyard is a special vineyard, more unique than pretty much any vineyard in California. It was the first planted vineyard in Monterey back in 1919, sits at 1800 feet above California’s Salinas Valley and the fog line and even has such distinct climatic and geographic differences in the vineyard that they have their own AVA!!!

They’re one of the few wineries in the U.S. that are growing grapes in limestone-based soils that are the same as Burgundy. That gives them a huge advantage over their peers when trying to grow world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Another big advantage is the super well-drained ground, low rainfall the vineyard sees and the low crop levels of the Chardonnay vines. With very cold nights and hot days (especially during the summer), and less than 15 inches of annual rainfall, the conditions here are perfect for growing both fruit and acid driven Chard.

In the 2021 vintage, Chalone hit it out of the park to the tune of two 92-point reviews from the major critics – Wine Enthusiast who called out, “bright acidity and earthy minerality” and James Suckling who called the wine “attractive” as well as “full-bodied and very textura with a chalkiness to it and vivid acidity”.