2021 La Crema Saralee's Russian River Chardonnay, California

The 2021 Chardonnay Saralee's Vineyard pours a youthful yellow/straw hue and offers notes of lime blossom, wet stone, and fresh peach. Full-bodied, but with some lift on the palate, its fresh acidity feels a touch more linear, with ripe pineapple, a delicate note of vanilla, and citrus pith.

91 points jebdunnuck.com

La Crema Saralee’s Vineyard Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley is a richly expressive, cool-climate Chardonnay that captures the generous fruit and layered complexity this Sonoma subregion is known for. Sourced exclusively from the famed Saralee’s Vineyard — a site prized for its fog-kissed mornings, Goldridge sandy loam soils and carefully selected Chardonnay clones — this wine is both plush and precise, with beautifully integrated oak and a long, seamless finish.

Fruit is hand harvested and gently whole bunch pressed. Fermentation takes place in French oak barrels, with a mix of new and seasoned wood, followed by full malolactic conversion and ageing on lees for added richness and texture. The result is a Chardonnay that offers the weight and creaminess expected from California, but balanced by acidity and freshness from its cool origin.

The nose opens with aromas of ripe peach, baked apple, Meyer lemon, toasted brioche and vanilla bean. On the palate, it’s full bodied and layered, showing stone fruit, citrus curd, hazelnut and a touch of clove and wet stone. There’s a rounded mouthfeel, but also an underlying brightness that keeps the finish long and clean.

Food pairing: ideal with butter-poached lobster, roasted chicken with tarragon, truffled mushroom risotto, or creamy shellfish pasta. Also excellent with soft cheeses like brie or burrata.

Cellar potential: drinking beautifully now but will develop well over the next 5 to 7 years, gaining nutty, savoury complexity while maintaining its core of fruit and freshness.