ARNOT-ROBERTS Trout Gulch Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains The Trout Gulch Vineyard is found in a forested coastal canyon about 4 miles from the ocean in Santa Cruz County. This beautiful and pioneering site was planted by Bernard Turgeon in 1980 to the old Wente clone of Chardonnay, which is considered by many to be the heritage selection of Chardonnay in California. The soils in this cool site are fine sandy loam and the vines are carefully tended by Richard Alfaro. Harvest at Trout Gulch often has a slow-growing season resulting in wines that are high in natural acidity, strong minerality, and have notable salinity on the palate.

HARTFORD WINES Hartford Court Sevens Bench Chardonnay, Carneros

CLOTILDE DAVENNE Chablis Vieilles Vignes Chablis is a superb winegrowing region entirely dedicated to Chardonnay. Clotilde Davenne Chablis comes from the village of Courgis, right next door to her winery in Prehy. Pale in colour with hints of green, the Chablis Vieilles Vignes offers a nice freshness and aromatic nose of fresh fruits, white flowers and dried fruit. The mineral aromas, of flint in particular, make it sing.

This wine is made from two parcels which are found on the border of the communes of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. The first, which is to the left of the Clos des Perrières, has clay/limestone soil and a subsoil of volcanic rock which allows a healthy root system to develop in this limestone-rich environment. The second is on the upper slope and overlooks the Perrières quarry. Here the soil is heavily limestone, partly as marl and partly as white rock. This is interesting for the way it brings mineral notes to the wine. During tastings it often find notes of white pepper and other spices both on the nose and on the palate.

Domaine Lamy-Pillot 1er Cru En Creot, Saint Aubin Domaine Lamy-Pillot is a small family-run winery, established in 1973, which counts as relatively youthful for the region. The wines of Lamy-Pillot are consistent and drinkable in the very best sense. The 1er Cru En Creot hails from one of Saint Aubins higher sites. Lamy-Pillot describe this Chardonnay as a fat and greedy wine, rich with ripe yellow fruit, toasty butter, and honey.

HARTFORD COURT Stone Cote Vineyard Chardonnay The Stone Côte Vineyard is a small vineyard block within the renowned Durell Vineyard, which sits upon an ancient riverbed at the southern end of the Sonoma Coast AVA. The vineyard’s topography was shaped aeons ago by a river flowing through volcanic and sedimentary rock on its way to the San Pablo Bay. Tumbled and water-worn river rocks now litter the landscape, and very little topsoil remains. The nutritionally challenged soils force the vines to search deeply for nutrients and water, and as a result, the stressed vines yield very small clusters with intense varietal flavours. Climatically, this vineyard site is characterised by relatively cool daytime temperatures and maritime breezes, which marry with the low-fertility soils to create an ideal site for growing Chardonnay. The wine’s flinty aromas and mineral-laden finish are a reflection of this vineyard’s intrinsic terroir.