Chalk Hill Chardonnays: Astounding Purity & Grace

In 2022, Sonoma's iconic Chalk Hill Estate will celebrate 40 years since founder Fred Furth first spotted from his airplane the property's natural amphitheater on the eastern side of the Russian River Valley. The property - and then in 1983, the AVA - were named for the area's white, powdery and volcanic soils. Though a sub-AVA of the Russian River Valley, Chalk Hill is warmer because it sits above the cooling fog experience throughout the rest of the Russian River. 

Bill and Carol Foley purchased Chalk Hill Estate in 2010. These three Chardonnays were made by the former winemaker, Courtney, who is the Foley's youngest daughter. Starting with the 2021 vintage, Senior Winemaker Michael Beaulac will be crafting Chalk Hill's wines.

93*
Chalk Hill 2018 Chardonnay Felta 14.9% $75
Vibrant and vinous, this is a salty, juicy Chardonnay that defies the typical expectations of a California Chardonnay. This is impressively structured for a high abv wine, with dry extract tugging on the long, complex and tongue-tying finish. The juicy fruit core remains prominent from start to finish. Celery, Asian pear and yellow plum skin are the flavor focal points. This is the winery's highest acidity Chardonnay, and its tension nicely covers for the 69% new French oak that the wine is aged in for 16 months.
Drink: 2021-27 

93
Chalk Hill 2018 Chardonnay Wright Creek 14.9% $75
This is a beautiful Chardonnay with enrapturing complexity and a brilliant finesse of its 14.9% abv. Astonishingly, this was aged for 13 months in a whopping 75% new French oak. Counterintuitively, this Wright Creek is astonishingly lithe, delicate and nuanced. Pear nectar, baking spice and a vague touch of butterscotch give the palate definition. Juicy at the core, this wine has bright acidity through the long finish, which is the only time the alcoholic heat shows through. This unfined and unfiltered Chardonnay has a lightly cloudy appearance.
Drink: 2021-28 

91
Chalk Hill 2018 Chardonnay Estate Bottled Chalk Hill 14.9% $45
Slightly hazy with a mid-depth, yellow color, this visually alluring wine has a subdued aromatic profile even at warmer temperatures. The palate, however, is captivating for its prominent savory and saline characteristics. The palate shows notes of yellow apple core, star fruit and faint hints of sage. Voluminous on the palate, the wine is nicely lifted by solid acidity as well as the wine's resolutely dry finish. A welcome departure from the classically "oaky" Northern California Chardonnays- despite the high alcohol, this scintillatingly dry wine delivers an almost electric acidic nip.
Drink: 2021-25