Pfendler’s varietal Chardonnay was whole-cluster pressed, inoculated, and barrel fermented with lees stirring. The wine spent a total of 10 months in French oak, 40 percent new. The wine is bright yellow and faintly clouded; it looks like real wine. The scent murmurs honey and beeswax, nutmeg-spiked cream, and lemon curd. The body is effulgent, shining with waxy yellow fruits and dried lemon peel, with the added essence of ripe, even dried, apricots. Velvety-textured, the body inherited structure from the wood aging and bâtonnage.
A big wine with flare and panache. It needs cream- or butter-based sauces, savory pastries, and unctuous cheeses. Also great with pilafs, egg pasta, and rich shellfish.
2015 Pfendler Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
14.3% abv | $38 (sample) 250 cases made
