15 Best Chardonnays Worth Splurging On

Food & Wine

May 2023

A recent article from Food & Wine features 15 of the best chardonnays to splurge on. This article highlights the impressive range that California chardonnays can express (hint: it’s not all oak & butter). Author Brian Freedman writes, “They run the gamut from leaner in style to more overtly generous, and all of them are balanced, expressive, delicious evocations of all that California is capable of.”

We’re pleased to see that Ridge Vineyards’ Estate Chardonnay has made this list. Our Monte Bello Estate in the Santa Cruz Mountains is ideally suited for growing exceptional chardonnay grapes, and our pre-industrial winemaking techniques further accentuate these characteristics.

2021 Estate Chardonnay | Santa Cruz Mountains

“Grown on the famed Monte Bello Estate Vineyard, this smells a bit reductive – a technique that limits oxygen during the winemaking, and often results in a distinctly savory, struck-match note on the nose – and is all the more delicious for it. It has a long life ahead, but right now, aromas of walnuts and apricots precede a palate of lemon pith, turmeric and ginger root. A deep core of minerality lends the finish a saline savoriness that is long and deeply delineated. It’s all very Burgundian in character, almost Meursault-like, yet seen through the lens of the inimitable Ridge.” -Brian Freedman