Ernest Vineyards Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2023

#57 American Wine of the Year, 2025 (95 Points, James Suckling)
A super lean, racy, mineral-driven wine, so fresh and linear and full of energy. Crisp green apples and lemon pith. Light-bodied and refreshing. At just 12% alcohol it’s easy to sip and enjoy multiple glasses. Fermented in oak barrels with native yeast and native malolactic for a slightly smoother texture.

94 Points, Decanter
The 2023 Ernest Sonoma Coast Chardonnay shows an outstanding balance of minerality, citrus, texture, and just a hint of reductiveness. The grapes come from the estate vineyard and different sections of the Ocean View Vineyard (old vines Clone 4 and younger plantings of Wente), right on the edge of Green Valley and the Sonoma Coast. On the nose, you’ll get lemon zest, crunchy orchard fruit, and a touch of honeysuckle, leading into a mouthful of citrus peels, saline minerality, and delicate creaminess. The grapes were picked in mid-September – about a month later than 2022 – and spent nine months in barrique (25% new French oak, lightly toasted to add texture). The wine underwent full malolactic fermentation, with no btonnage, and was filtered for clarity. It’s a precise coastal Chardonnay. Delicious.

93 Points, Jeb Dunnuck
The 2023 Chardonnay Sonoma Coast is a bright straw color and is fresh and lifted with notes of delicate, flirty wet stones, white peach, fresh flowers, lemon zest, and salty earth. The palate is refreshing and even, with a medium-bodied frame, and it has a clean, mouthwatering, chalky texture, a good deal of length, and a fantastic finish. I love this wine – it’s just so energetic. It’s worth picking up a case to have on hand over the next 6-8 years.