Our Top US Chardonnays

99 Points - Stuart McCloskey

The 2014 Chanin Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay has a terrific purity and class. With aromas and flavours of white peach, stone fruits, white flowers and toasted bread it is elegant and balanced, with both richness and freshness - a classic, and beautifully made Chardonnay.

97+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck  "Coming from a terrific site located at the southern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands, the 2016 Chardonnay East of Eden Pisoni Vineyard boasts phenomenal notes of ripe citrus and white peach fruits, white flowers, and freshly crushed rocks. It's clean, incredibly pure, and elegant on the palate, with a level of tension and vibrancy you don't find too often in the vintage. I followed this bottle for two days and it only improved with air. It's a brilliant Chardonnay from Lato that’s going to benefit from a year or two of bottle age and age gracefully for a decade or more. Don’t miss it!"

92-94 Points - Antonio Galloni (Vinous) "Orange peel, smoke, spices, mint and apricot pit flesh out in the 2013 Chardonnay Camp Meeting Ridge Vineyard. Bold and textured in its flavors but classically mid-weight in style, the 2013 captures a hugely attractive middle ground."

97 Points - Stuart McCloskey "By far, the standout wine from the Talbott samples which I received. The nose unfolds with some aeration but retains its tight, mineral and steely fresh character – a nutty character unfolds after a while. The palate offers a degree of richness but has a tight and elegant core which is most attractive. Buttered citrus, stone fruits and tropical layers in abundance with touches of toast and oak. The mouthfeel and textural grip are impressive which support the wine’s overall harmonious balance. Lovely acidity and vitality which contrasts beautifully with the ripe fruit and toasty, mealy flavours. This is just beginning to show its full potential and will comfortably cellar for 5+ years. Excellent and served using Zalto Bordeaux glassware."

92+ Points - Antonio Galloni "Liquid Farm's 2015 Chardonnay La Hermana is a blend of fruit from Bien Nacido, Solomon Hills and Dierberg. Intensely pointed and saline, it will need a bit more time in bottle to be at its most expressive. In keeping with its Santa Maria origins, La Hermana is the most finely cut and chiseled of the Liquid Farm Chardonnays."

95-97 Points - Robert Parker "The 2014 Chardonnay Ellen Lane Estate exhibits more gravelly, wet pebble notes and loads of uplifted aromatics, including peach, pineapple, orange rind and lemon blossom. It is again a complex style of Chardonnay made from a cold microclimate."

96 Points - Robert Parker "The 2013 Chardonnay Ross Station Estate displays clean quince, white currant, honeysuckle and pineapple notes, a touch of hazelnut, and a full-bodied, rich, concentrated, multi-layered mouthfeel. This is another brilliant Chardonnay to drink over the next 4-6 years."

96+ Points - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (erobertparker.com)  "The 2014 Chardonnay Estate Vineyard reveals very pretty notes of peach blossoms and candied ginger over a core of nectarines, acacia honey, baking bread and marzipan. Medium-bodied with a silken texture and wonderful intensity of yeasty/savory flavors, it has a great frame of freshness and epic length. A beautiful, truly elegant style. "