2016 Viszlay Vineyard Chardonnay - Vokel Cellars

Meyer lemon, struck match, soft golden apple. Peach pit, crème fraîche, ripe mango. Citrus blossom and honeysuckle, smokey flint and gunpowder. Asian pear, nectarine, and passionfruit lead a juicy and plump fruit-driven attack immediately complicated by matchstick and charming reduction. Light florals, nutmeg, and cardamom contribute further to lovely aromatics along with hints of straw bale, unbaked dough, and clove. Ocean air blows in bringing with it streaks of sandy salinity that lends further complexity and completeness. Full bodied, ripe, and round yet quite fresh and focused thanks to medium plus acidity and a daring reductive edge. This 2016 Viszlay Vineyard Chardonnay by Vokel Cellars is a unique, well made, and delicious Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.

Often recognizable regional wine styles can have as much to do with winemaking technique as they do with terroir. This bottling, crafted by Vokel Cellars using Chardonnay sourced from the Viszlay Vineyard within California's Sonoma Coast appellation, eschews the typically more oxidative Sonoma style in favor of tense reduction. It is noticeably free of the honeyed and nutty character common in California Chardonnay and instead presents unique smokey and flinty nuances more frequently associated with Burgundy. Ripe fruit, terroir, and California sunshine still show through here but do so in a distinct and atypical way. This is a wonderful example of a wine that is not afraid to be itself while still accurately representing its region and true varietal character.