The 2020 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard offers singular aromas of apple, lime peel, iodine and flint, with classy baking spices from its maturation in 38% new French oak. Aromatically dynamic, it segues from its initial spice and mineral tones to generous white peaches, clotted cream and crystalized honey. The palate explodes with flavor, its pure, concentrated fruits refreshed by tangy acidity that calls you in for another sip. Satiny, expansive and energetic, it has a very long, gently textural finish. Normally about 1,000 cases are made, but in the challenging 2020 vintage, only 460 cases are available.

The 2019 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard has a nose of fresh quince and white peaches, with toasty notes of roasted almonds and accents of grapefruit, jasmine and crushed stone. The medium-bodied palate is savory and expansive, taking time to flesh out from intense citrus to nutty, mineral-streaked character, and it finishes very, very long. It’s so beautiful right from bottle but deserves more time in the cellar.

The 2018 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard has a lush, open-knit nose of mushroom paste, charcuterie, wet hay, crushed almonds, spring blossoms and a core of ripe orchard fruits. In the mouth, it has a medium weight and silky texture and explodes with savory, honeyed flavor layers, seamlessly fresh and finishing long and uplifted. Wow!

From a site located near the nexus of Carneros, Sonoma Valley, and the Sonoma Coast, the 2018 Chardonnay Durell is a richer, broader Chardonnay that offers loads of mulled Meyer lemons, brioche, and honeysuckle notes as well as nicely integrated oak, medium to full body, plenty of toasty, nutty nuances, and a great finish. This classic, rich, powerful Sonoma Chardonnay does everything right. It will pick up even more complexity with a year or so of bottle age and evolve gracefully for a decade.

The 2017 Chardonnay Durell Vineyard opens with lemon curd, toast, dried hay and baked quince scents with notions of pie crust, baked yellow apple and honey notions. Medium-bodied, it has an intense core of open-knit, honey-tinged fruits with toasty and mineral accents enlivened by tangy acidity, finishing long and layered.