What a refined and expressive 2022 Rombauer Chardonnay that isn't even remotely styled in the over-the-top richness that public opinion would suggest. In short, get a bottle and be humbled if you think this is a butter bomb -- because it's not. Candied ginger and lemon peel aromatics with elegant baking spices. Round and warm on the palate with grip and expressive acidity, and attractive ginger and salted lemon peel notes. Enjoy this wine now for its youthful exuberance and refreshing acidity, or hold it for a few years and revel in the warming, rich character that will emerge, but above all, please make your best roast chicken ala Julia Child and live life to its fullest on that night—100% Chardonnay aged in 9 months in American and French oak barrels (30% new).

The 2022 Carneros Chardonnay, bottled in July 2023, leaps with spicy scents of nutmeg and fresh ginger leading to a core of Golden Delicious apples and juicy pears plus wafts of toasty oak and honeysuckle. The medium to full-bodied palate has a racy backbone at this youthful stage, countered by a silky texture and bags of spicy apple and pear flavors, finishing with impressive length.

Butter, oak and vanilla flavors dominate the aroma and flavor of this full-bodied, heavily oaked wine. It has a dessert-like quality that is honeyed on the palate and lingers sweetly on the finish. For fans of this bold style, it's a big win. — Jim Gordon