To drink a glass of well-made Chardonnay is like taking a short walk on a sunny afternoon. Is it thrilling? No. Are you going to tell a story about it at your next cocktail party? Probably not. But it’s pleasant. It’s wholesome. And when you’re finished, you feel a little glow inside–like you just ingested a perfect portion of sunshine.
Today’s bottle comes from Carneros, where Napa starts to cool off and the Mayacamas mountain range climbs out of the Bay. It’s made by the Truchard family, who grow Chardonnay alongside 11 other varieties on their diverse patchwork of slopes and soils.
“Wait–I bought a Napa Chard?” I thought to myself as I pulled it from the wine fridge. But as soon as I poured it, I remembered why.
The 2023 Truchard is a medium yellow color with a clean, fresh nose of yellow and green apple, lemon, and Marcona almond. As it warms, it releases aromas of toasted bread and a hint of butterscotch. It’s nearly full-bodied, the richness balanced by fresh fruit and a firm acid core.
It’s dry with high (but unobtrusive) alcohol. Flavors of sliced pineapple and citrus zest are complemented by a touch of salinity. To sip it slowly is to enjoy a lovely long finish with candied oranges, brûléed pineapple, and salted caramel. It’s rich without giving up its brightness, lightly creamy without being heavy.
Truchard chooses to ferment 100% of their Chardonnay in small French oak barrels (one-third new). It’s an expensive, labor-intensive process–but here, it seems to pay off. The oak influence is one of the most admirable components of this wine’s mosaic of flavors.
If you just wrinkled your nose at that last sentence…well, you’re not alone. Oaked Chardonnay from California is a hard sell. We’re all having flashbacks from the wood-chips-and-apple-juice flavors of the 1990s.
So, how can a wine be both really oaky and so meticulously balanced? In this case, there’s a sequential quality to the oak. You notice it more on the palate–it doesn’t come surging over the rim of the glass with the momentum of a truckload of lumber. It’s not subtle. But it is slow and persuasive. The wine leads with fresh fruit, then cajoles you with caramel and toasted nuts, like a slice of pecan pie at the end of a meal.
I shared the bottle with my wife, who went from “Wait–why did you buy a Napa Chard?” to “Oh, this wine is very, very good,” in a matter of minutes. It was perfect with an Easter Sunday feast of smoked ham and honey-glazed carrots.
Bottle: Truchard Carneros Napa Valley Chardonnay (2023) – California
Variety: Chardonnay (100%)
ABV: 14.1%
Suggested retail: $32.99
My rating: 9.1 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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