Another sensational effort for these two brothers, the 2014 Chardonnay Home Block Spring Ridge Vineyard reveals more minerality, as well as medium to full-bodied richness, terrific purity and classic, tropical aromas and flavors. Expansive, gorgeously textured and balanced, drink this beauty over the coming 5-7 years.

A classic Chardonnay, the 2013 Chardonnay Home Block Spring Ridge Vineyard offers lots of ripe Chardonnay apple and stone fruits, white flowers, brioche and hints of minerality in its medium to full-bodied, layered and balanced profile. Slightly richer through the mid-palate than the Amphitheater, it's still clean, focused and crisp, with terrific length. It too needs a year of cellaring and will keep through 2023.

The 2012 Chardonnay Home Block Spring Ridge Vineyard comes from the highest-elevation plot, with the vines lying between 805-840 feet above sea level. Like the other Chardonnays, it's aged all in French oak, with 25% being new. Rich and layered, with notions of lemon curd, ripe peach and citrus giving way to more honeyed minerality with air, this full-bodied, layered and decadently styled Chardonnay offers tons of fruit and texture, yet stays pure, lively and clean. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years.

More backward, the 2011 Chardonnay Home Block Spring Ridge Vineyard (207 cases) reveals more tropical fruit notes, medium to full body, not the intensity and richness of the Amphitheater Block, but good acidity, a structured, earthy mouthfeel, and 5-7 years of drinkability. These organically, dry-farmed vineyards located ten miles from the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Cruz Mountains are managed by two brothers. I was super-impressed by their attitude as well as their statement that “90% of what we do to contribute to our quality is work in the vineyard.” All of these wines are minimally processed with indigenous yeast fermentations, hand racking, and are produced in relatively small quantities, ranging from 95 cases of the Pinot Noir Three Blocks, to nearly 500 cases of the Chardonnay B Block. I can not recommend these fairly priced reds and whites highly enough. The Amphitheater Block is a two-acre, south-facing vineyard planted on its own roots thirty years ago. The Home Block is a two-acre, east-facing site planted on its own roots thirty-one years ago. The Bee Block, 3.5 acres on a northeast-facing slope, is grafted. All of the vineyards are planted in sedimentary, fragmented, rocky soils, and the brothers believe the Chardonnay, at least from the Amphitheater Block, is an Old Wente clone. They are not certain what clone was used in the two other blocks. I tasted three Chardonnays under the Varner label and one packaged under the Neely label, all 2011s, the coolest vintage on record with no heat spikes during the summer as well as a wet fall. There was no botrytis in these vineyards because of their high elevation. The Pinot Noirs are made from the Hidden Block, a northeast-facing slope planted with Dijon clone 115, the Picnic Block, a 2-acre east-facing slope planted with Dijon clone 777, and the Upper Picnic Block, a 2-acre block of 32-year-old vines planted with Dijon clone 777. Their prices are fair for what has been put in the bottle. www.varnerwine.com

Varner’s 2010 Chardonnay Home Block is considerably fresher than the Amphitheater. Lemon, white peaches, ash and crushed rocks are all layered into this energetic, vibrant Chardonnay. This too, is a large-scaled wine, but the Home Block seems to have handled the challenges of the year a bit more gracefully than the Amphitheater. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2020. Brothers Jim and Bob Varner describe 2010 as a cold year with two heat spikes that were shorter and less dramatic than in other parts of California. It was a long growing season, and the fruit came in 2-3 weeks later than normal. As always, the Varner and Neely wines were fermented in barrel, with native yeasts, natural fermentation and minimal handling. These broad-shouldered Chardonnays and deep, resonant Pinots remain some of the most compelling wines being made in California. Tel. (650) 321-4894; www.varnerwine.com