| Country: | United States |
| Regions: | California California (Sonoma County) |
| Winery: | Russian River Vineyards |
| Grape Type: | Chardonnay |
| Vintage: | 2019 |
| Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Flanagan Russian River Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Grapes for this wine are sourced from several top Russian River Chardonnay sites including Platt Vineyard, Ritchie Vineyard and Bacigalupi Vineyard.
A typical day in Russian River begins with cool fog that fades by mid-morning as the warm sun transforms the vineyard into a warm, welcoming place buzzing with bees. In the late afternoon the ocean air sweeps in from the west cooling the vineyard down. Soils of clay and volcanic rock, carved into rolling hills by the Russian River, are the bass line to the melody played by the sun, wind and fog.
Flanagan Chardonnay RRV has an expressive nose that is typical of the Wente Clone of Chardonnay. The palate has an elegant mélange of stone fruit and ripe citrus flavors supported by understated barrel notes. The key to the wine is the bright acidity that ties everything together. This is a great example of what top Russian River Chardonnay sites can produce when wine making is focused on balance.
Flanagan Russian River Chardonnay 2023 is made from 100% Chardonnay.
Drawn from top Russian River Valley sites — including the Platt, Ritchie and Bacigalupi vineyards — this Chardonnay is barrel-fermented and aged roughly eleven months in French oak. The result is a layered, balanced white with orchard fruit, citrus and a long, mineral-edged finish.
Winery Info: Flanagan Family Winery was founded by Eric Flanagan in 1999 on Bennett Mountain, adding a Russian River Valley site in 2011. The winery focuses on small-production, single-region Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Sonoma County's finest vineyards.
Cattail Creek Chardonnay Russian River Valley is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
From the heart of Sonoma's Russian River Valley, one of California's premier Chardonnay appellations, this wine showcases the region's signature combination of rich fruit character and bright acidity. Cool morning fog and afternoon breezes produce Chardonnay of exceptional balance, with notes of ripe pear, green apple, and citrus complemented by subtle hints of vanilla and toast. The palate is round and full-bodied yet refreshing, with a long, elegant finish.
Flaunt Russian River Valley Sparkling Brut is made from 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir.
This Brut is absolutely lovely. It is drier than the previous versions with only 1.5 grams of residual sugar. It is powerful and brisk with well integrated bubbles. There is an immediate hit of lemon zest with touches of nectarine and plum. Mid palate you notice the warm notes of brioche and a slight kick of white pepper on the finish.
This Russian River Valley Brut is a blend of wine from two vineyards in the Russian River Valley. It is approximately equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These two grapes work wonderfully in Sonoma County’s maritime climate where the long, cool growing season allows for adequate ripeness of both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay while maintaining superb levels of natural acidity. Dianna Novy always loved the Russian River Valley for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, first as still wines, and now as Sparkling Wine.
Review:
"This crisp Brut offers fresh aromas and flavors of ripe pear and apple with a leesy fresh bread note. It is mouth filling with fresh acidity and has a sense of refinement, finishing long and chalky. Try it with oysters. A blend of 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir with 3 years en tirage."
- I-winereview.com (December 2022), 92 pts
Jonive Chardonnay Russian River Valley is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Jonive’s Moon Dust Vineyard is planted to a range of clones, imparting unique characteristics and quality to the wines. 100% estate-owned vineyard planted in 1998 and 2007. Goldridge (Moon Dust) soil over clay loam. Eastern/Southern Exposure.
The wine has a typical light straw color and complex aromas of lemongrass, nutmeg, Meyer lemon, fresh oregano, and a touch of passionfruit. This Chardonnay has an enveloping mouthfeel that is at once crisp and linear as well as rich and expansive, a very unusual and beguiling combination of textures and mouthfeel. The browning of clone 17 enables the wine to be rich, but at a lower alcohol, and clone 95 contributes beautifully fresh acidity. The palate shows jasmine, honeydew melon, tarragon, lime, and lemongrass with a nice kiss of high-quality French oak. The extended lees contact gives the wine amazing length, energy, and vitality.
353 cases produced
14-month barrel aging in 67% new French oak barrels, 20% once used and 13% neutral
61% clone 17/Robert Young and 39% clone 95
13.3% alcohol
Reviews:
"This unfiltered Chardonnay explodes from the glass with brilliant aromas of fresh lime peel, orange blossom, chalk and green pear. The palate displays all of that aciddriven freshness, with flavors of juicy tangerine and flowers leading to a finish with echoes of salty lime zest."
— Tom R. Capo, 2025 Wine Enthusiast 95 Points
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Russian River Valley is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Crafted with precision from six pedigreed sites comes a wine that beams with pale straw hue. The newest vintage brings wonderful aromatic intensity: candied lemon peel, white florals followed by crisp green apple. A creamy and viscous texture on the palate is buoyed by white nectarine and dried apricot that’s balanced with a vibrant acidity, bringing focus to the wine’s finish that lingers with hints of flinty mineral notes.
Review:
-James Suckling 94 Points
Russian River Chardonnay Petersen is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Pear, peach, apple and a hint of flint.
Flavors of gorgeous baked apples with golden raisin and brown sugar, comice pear tart, apricot scone with clarified butter. What a fabulous creamy texture this wine has, despite no oak influence at all. This is testament to the incredibly lush fruit from the Petersen Vineyard, along with hands-off winemaking. So fresh, lively and mouthwatering, it’s like biting into an apple right off the tree. You can feel the juice dripping down your chin.
In 2008, fourth generation farmer and aspiring winemaker Giovanni Balistreri, under the tutelage of award-winning winemaker Anthony Austin, set out to reclaim the rich history and enormous un-tapped potential of one of Sonoma County’s finest wine-making estates. The estate lies in the heart of the Russian River Valley and thus proudly and appropriately bears the Russian River Valley appellation.
The winemakers understood the potential of this small estate, but even more importantly, they had come to know the special region in which it sits. This was not a place to build a large, corporate winery to produce wine in high volume. It was a place where a careful, patient approach could produce world-class wine. And in the decade since, the venerable estate has been returning to its former glory.
At Russian River Vineyards, they don’t mystify the winemaking process. They are farmers, first and foremost. Gio, the winemaker, is a product of four generations of farmers, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. To produce great wine, you must first produce excellent fruit. And it is the essential character and flavor of that fruit, when it is harvested, that will determine its potential to become a superior wine. There is no shortcut. You have to be there and manage the crop at every step. They are hands-on farmers, not only with their estate-grown grapes, but they also directly manage the farming of all vineyards from which they produce wine, whether they own the property or not. If they don’t farm it, they don’t make wine from it.
Fullerton Five Faces Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Five FACES is an acronym for the Fullerton family – Filip, Alex, Caroline, Eric, and Susanne. The wines blend fruit from multiple vineyards in Willamette Valley, mainly in the north of the valley with one to the west in the Van Duzer Corridor. A full representation of the Willamee Valley’s soil types is on display with one volcanic vineyard, two loess (windblown) vineyards, and two sedimentary vineyards. The vineyards range in elevation from 550-700 feet.
Honeydew melon, japanese pear, apricot, honeysuckle, apple-blossom, nutmeg, brioche, and lemon curd. Melon is echoed on the palate with notes of lemon, tangerine, toasted almonds, and fennel. Lovely and integrated acidity balances the palate weight from 17 months on the lees.
17 months in 10% new French Oak
Paris with creamy dishes and cheeses. Chicken and Turkey.
Review:
-James Suckling 92 Points
Siegel Single Vineyard Los Lingues Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Viña Siegel Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is the result of our family's continuous search for quality wines with personality which faithfully reflect the best of our terroir. This wine comes from selected grapes from our "Los Lingues" vineyard in Alto Colchagua.
Located in the foothills of the Andes where the influence of the Andean winds result in an elegant Cabernet Sauvignon with great concentration of ripe red fruits, cassis and chocolate, and a balanced, richly structured, and long finish.
An intense violet color. Smells of cassis and is complemented with notes of mature red fruit and chocolate. A round and elegant wine with an excellent final persistence.
After carefully determining the moment for the harvest, the grapes are harvested by hand and later de-stemmed and marinated in cold temperatures for 5-6 days. Alcoholic fermentation is between 26ºC and 29ºC during which daily reassembly is implemented according to taste.Post-fermentation infusion lasts for two or three weeks. Once the blend is made, the wine is gently clarified and stabilized in cool temperatures if necessary.
Review:
"The 2017 vintage of the Los Lingues Cabernet Sauvignon is in every respect the equal of the 2016, which we rated highly. It begins with smoky, dark fruited nose and proceeds to a round, silky, well balanced palate of mineral-inflected, herbal-tinged dark cassis. There’s a sense of refinement and balance to this wine."
- I-winereview.com (March 2022), 92+ pts
Silver Oak Cellars Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 81.6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.8% Merlot, 1.8% Petit Verdot, 1.4% Cabernet Franc, 0.4% Malbec.
Ruby in color, the 2020 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is a harmony of black and blue fruit notes that dance delicately on the palate. Plum and blueberry intertwine with whispers of baking spices, creating a tapestry of flavors that unfold in layers of complexity. On the palate, it is a study in elegance—smooth and effortlessly refined. Silky tannins provide structure without imposing, ensuring a seamless journey from the first sip to the last.
Review:
-James Suckling 95 Points
Chappellet Pritchard Hill Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is made from Cabernet Sauvignon.
Chappellet's Pritchard Hill Cabernet Sauvignon has been, since the beginning of their winemaking career, the most sought after wine of their portfolio. The wine is truly a love letter to the winegrowing potential of Pritchard Hill. The wine was inspired by Bordeaux, and like most left bank Bordeaux, the wine is a blend of predominately Cabernet Sauvignon with remaining amounts other classic Bordeaux blend varieties. The vines grow upon rocky, mountainside vineyards. After harvest and fermentation, the wine was aged for 22 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
Chappellet planted on Pritchard Hill in 1967, among the first to prove this rugged, high-elevation bench on Napa Valley's eastern ridge could grow world-class Cabernet. The volcanic, iron-rich soils sit above the fog line, where poor ground and long, even ripening yield naturally concentrated fruit and the wine's celebrated capacity to age.
Review:
The flagship release here, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon Pritchard Hill sports a saturated purple hue and absolutely heavenly aromatics of crème de cassis, liquid violets, graphite, crushed stone, and a Pauillac-like character that builds with time in the glass. Based on 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, it's full-bodied, has a deep, concentrated mouthfeel, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. This is magical stuff that offers pleasure even today given its purity, balance, and finesse, but I'd be shocked if it didn't keep for 50 years or more. Drink 2025-2075.
Jeb Dunnuck, 100 points
-Jane Anson (Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux) 100 Points
-Joe Czerwinski (Robert Parker) 100 Points
-Decanter 99 Points