Golden delicious apple, salted cashew, barely-ripe peach. Pineapple core, powdered nutmeg, tart grapefruit zest. A tense and driving parade of Meyer lemon, nectarine, and Bartlett pear marches valiantly alongside matchstick, sea breeze, and cinnamon in a cavalcade of elegance and electricity. Honeysuckle, gardenias, and jasmine gallantly emerge to provide an ample dose of pristine floral tones while forest air, pine wood, and sage impart only the subtlest of natural complexities. Notes of crushed sea shells and sandy earth carry a thread of persistent salinity that refuses to relent to smoked almond, vanilla, or delicate barrel spice. Perfectly soft and refined yet still nervous and edgy on the palate; coursing with gripping minerality throughout a profile that is crisp and energetic while simultaneously firm and serious. Medium bodied, expressive yet restrained, and backed by gorgeously high acidity. This 2017 Olivet Lane Vineyard Chardonnay by Gary Farrell Winery is a magnificently classic and brilliantly executed white from the Russian River Valley.

Although the French wine region of Burgundy inarguably shapes the world's greatest and most complex examples of Chardonnay, there are many producers from around the globe who are creating exceptional wine using this legendary white grape to challenge Burgundy's virtually unquestioned dominance. This bottling, crafted by Gary Farrell Winery using Chardonnay sourced from the Olivet Lane Vineyard in Sonoma's Russian River Valley, is truly a worthy challenger to France's very best whites. Made in an utterly classic style with immaculate California fruit this wine's tension, energy, and verve far outweigh any impressions of oak or opulence. While just slightly more well endowed, its balance and minerality are nearly reminiscent of its old world rivals and it executes its mission with incredible intentionality and precision. An absolutely outstanding wine.